Watching Over You
by Aethelgythe
Summary: My take on Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's early life as they grow up with the Autobots. NO SLASH Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. Rated Teen for battle violence. COMPLETE
1. Welcome Home

Author's Note: I've had this idea for a while. I may do more youngling stories in the future dealing with other characters. I'm afraid that updates will be few and far between since I'm currently working on another story, so please bear with me!

The time chart listed below I got from (Karategal--check out this author's stories here on fanfiction!!) so I don't own it.

Units of Time: Cybertron

Sparkling - Newborn

Youngling - Child

Breem - 8.3 Earth minutes

Joor - 6.5 Earth hours

Orn - 13 Earth days

Vorn - 83 Earth years

**Chapter 1**

Stars glittered and twinkled like so many jewels in the dark depths of space, a spectacle so beautiful, that often enough many would stare up at the sky in awe struck wonder for hours at a time.

If anyone was currently enjoying the sight, their view was now completely impeded as a large battleship bearing the Autobot logo, touched down right outside of this particular youth sector's main viewport.

Youth Sector Alpha-Sigma was located many stellar cycles away from their war torn world of Cybertron, nestled safely away within the craters of an uncharted asteroid. Since the destruction of the youth sectors on their home-world, refugees fled into the hidden depths of unknown regions to escape the merciless and ruthless clutches of the Decepticons. This youth sector, like the other two surviving havens, were so far out of reach, undetectable, and virtually invisible to any prying and unfriendly eyes.

Many of the caretakers were volunteers, many of which had tragically lost their own young ones to the death riddled planet they had once called home. Here in this quiet and relatively peaceful part of the universe, the care takers of Youth Sector Alpha-Sigma, swore to protect the surviving younglings with their very lives. Even though they identified themselves as a neutral faction, they never turned away the Autobots. They viewed the Autobots as their peace-loving, life-preserving brethren, which is why they always welcomed them whenever they came every few vorns to deliver the youth that had survived the attacks in other sectors. The sectors that had been unfortunate enough to ally themselves with the Decepticons, naively believing their lies, were now nothing more than a faded memory.

A ramp lowered from the ship docked outside and two caretakers stood a few yards away to greet them.

Three Autobot soldiers marched down the ramp, two of the three carrying blanket wrapped bundles just out of the caretaker's view.

"Greetings, Ultra Magnus. We welcome you to Youth Sector Alpha-Sigma."

The noble commander nodded his head politely in reply to the greeting with the ghost of a smile lingering on his face.

"We have come in the hopes that you have room to harbor the twelve younglings that were recently delivered into our care."

"We would be honored."

The one known as Ultra Magnus lifted his hand and with a simple gesture, sent a silent command to his soldiers. Almost immediately, ten younglings were nudged and prodded encouragingly down the ramp by more of the kind hearted Autobots. A few of the younger ones were carried down and placed directly in front of the two caretakers.

Starlight, the head caretaker of this facility, looked over the group of new arrivals with appreciative and appraising optics. Then she noticed something that was out of place.

"There are only ten younglings here. If I'm not mistaken, I believe you said that there were twelve."

"You were not mistaken," Ultra Magnus suddenly looked weary and troubled.

Starlight noticed this and had the caretaker standing beside her take the ten younglings inside for registration so that she and the concerned looking Autobot commander could talk in private. The nanosecond they vanished into the premises, he spoke without preamble.

"These two little ones here…are very special."

Ultra Magnus waved his two officers forward and they unveiled their precious cargo.

Starlight gasped in shocked delight.

"Sparklings! We haven't had sparklings here since we first left Cybertron!"

"Will this be a problem?"

She bristled, as if insulted.

"Of course not"

"If you are certain"

"This is a blessing, I assure you."

Starlight reached forward and picked up one of the tiny, fragile little creatures and cradled him close to her chassis. The moment the sparkling was separated from the near vicinity of the other, his face scrunched up into one of discomfort. Within seconds, both were wailing…_loudly._

"Sweet Primus…what's wrong with them?"

Ultra Magnus chuckled good-naturedly.

"They share a rare bond. These two sparklings…are very special indeed…" Ultra Magnus trailed off softly as he continued to stare at the squalling sparkling in her arms.

Starlight was getting frustrated. She still didn't have a clue what he kept referring to.

"You have said that twice now, I don't understand."

The Autobot leader looked up slightly startled, not having realized he had been so lost in thought, thinking back to a time long past.

"They are twins."

Starlight's head snapped up quickly to look at the grinning commander. For a moment, she believed he was merely joking. Twins were a rarity among Cybertronians. Upon further scrutiny, she realized that he was quite serious.

She stepped forward and took the other wailing sparkling from the second officer's grasp, so that she was now holding a twin in each arm.

They ceased their distressed cries immediately. The little red one began kicking his little legs playfully, nudging his brother's foot in the process. The yellow twin cooed in response and copied his twin, both content now that they were back together.

"Where did you find them?"

The smile faded quickly from Ultra Magnus's face plates.

"Their creator's were the head caretakers of Youth Sector Delta-39."

Starlight gasped and took a step back in disbelief.

Everyone had heard what happened to that sector only a few breems ago. They had all seen the broadcast of the footage containing the aftermath of the Decepticon's ruthless and bloodthirsty assault. They had swept through, wiping out anyone who stood in their way. That included the Youth Sector containing 289 civilians, more than half of them younglings. It was reported that no one had been left alive.

"I…I knew them. Sunshine and Quickshot were good friends of mine."

"I'm very sorry."

"I don't understand…we were told that there were no survivors."

"We picked up the distress call but by the time we arrived it was too late. We picked through the rubble and found one survivor, designation Sunshine who was still carrying at the time. Our chief medical officer did all he could but her spark faded once the twins were safely delivered, approximately five joors ago."

"Thank you for bringing them here. I promise that we will do all that we can to keep them safe."

"I have no doubt about that. We will return within three vorns time to check up on things here. Until then, farewell"

"Safe travels and may Primus protect you."

Ultra Magnus smiled kindly with a short nod before he turned and marched briskly up the ramp.

Before the ship took off, some of Ultra Magnus's crew returned down the boarding ramp bearing stores of supplies and surplus energon.

"These are for the Youth Sector, free of charge," one of the soldier's flashed Starlight with a bright smile.

She shook her head in a panic.

"Please, let me pay you. I know that times are hard and that the war has taken a toll on—"

"Consider it a gift," the mech interrupted warmly. With that said they marched back into the ship.

Starlight stepped back as the battle cruiser slowly lifted back into the starry night sky. Within seconds it blasted away from view leaving the caretaker and the Alpha-Sigma Youth Sector safely behind in their peaceful, quiet little corner of the galaxy.

Even after the bright pinpoint of light that was the ship's rear thrusters was swallowed up by the dark expanse of space, the femme known as Starlight continued to stare up at the spot where the ship had disappeared from, with tears of gratitude in her optics. She whispered softly as if the Autobots who were now long gone, could still hear her.

"Thank you…thank you so much."

Starlight looked down to see two identical sets of baby blue optics staring intently up at her, as if memorizing her face. She smiled and held them close to her chest. As the femme walked back inside, she began to softly sing an old Cybertronian lullaby to the two youngest, most precious members of their facility. Within nanoseconds they were deep in recharge, softly clicking as they snuggled closer to Starlight's brilliantly glowing spark.

She placed them together on a padded mat on the floor in their version of a nursery, wrapping them in soft, warm, fuzzy blankets. Her close friend and trusted advisor stopped in the doorway when he saw the sight and gasped lightly, earning Starlight's undivided attention.

"Sparklings…here?"

"Is it really so hard to believe?"

"It's just that…never mind."

She chuckled quietly so as not to disturb the little ones and resumed her silent vigil over the pair of twins.

Fireflare studied the two sparklings and a comprehending light entered his optics when he put two and two together.

"They are twins…"

"Yes…they are special, aren't they?"

Starlight murmured as she gently caressed one of the recharging sparkling's cheeks, earning a quiet squeak in response.

"We will do all that we can to protect them," Fireflare responded with a protective edge in his voice.

"All life is precious…and must be preserved, especially ones so innocent."

"We have been trained by the best, Starlight. Our own guards have increased patrols since Delta-39…" He trailed off, knowing how sensitive a subject it was.

She turned a half smile on him and nodded her head before focusing intently back on the twins. One of them snuggled against the other, both clicking occasionally while they recharged.

She carefully and tenderly stroked the cheek of the other twin, almost protectively and smiled warmly when she was rewarded with another squeak. She whispered as she felt the beginnings of what had to be a bond forming between her-self and the sparklings, knowing without a doubt that she would give her life to protect these little treasures…these little miracles…that had been brought into her care.

"I promise with all of my spark…that I will protect you, little ones."

The twins continued to recharge peacefully, squeaking and clicking softly as their new guardians watched lovingly over them.

"Welcome home."

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Hopefully this was a fairly good start to this story. I'm not as skilled as Karategal or others at writing sparkling/youngling stories but I thought I'd give it a shot. Thanks for the inspiration!! PLEASE REVIEW!!


	2. A New Friend

Author's Note: Thanks to Karategal for supporting me with the story! The lyrics are from Plumb's song "In My Arms"…I do not own this song or Plumb either.

The twins will have sparkling designations, then as younglings they will choose their own. Once they become soldiers, they will then be known as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Sorry if the names get confusing!

Blaze= Sunstreaker

Chase= Sideswipe

**Chapter 2**

The next orn, the two sparklings had been designated with their sparkling names.

It was standard procedure and often enough, a common traditional practice amongst Cybertronians. Creators and Caretakers alike were charged to provide a designation for their sparklings. Once that youngling came of age and received their first-alt mode, they were then allowed to choose a designation for themselves. A naming ceremony would be held in their honor.

Once they entered the workforce, they were entitled with a permanent designation and carried it the rest of their adult life.

Starlight held the yellow sparkling in her arms, while the little one filled his tank with some low-grade energon. The red twin continued sleeping, worn out after they learned how to walk only a few joors ago.

She loved the brilliant sunshine yellow of his frame. It reminded her of a miniature, blazing sun. This little one's designation was Blaze.

"Starlight, we have received reports that Decepticon activity has tripled in all of the neighboring sectors. The Autobots have been called out to defend Youth Sector Gamma-12."

Fireflare looked worried from where he stood in the doorway but the mech grinned when one of the younglings ran giggling around his legs before entering the nursery. The little blue mech stared in awe at the tiny figures in the room.

"What are those?"

The little youngling's confusion was understandable, considering that none of them in this Youth Sector had ever seen, let alone _heard_ of a sparkling before. Starlight beamed down at the youngling from where she was sitting.

"These are sparklings…you were once this small too."

His soft, blue optics widened with wonder, trying to comprehend such a thing. After a minute he came closer and made a funny face.

"They are really tiny…"

"Would you like to hold one?"

The youngling backed away from Starlight and the yellow sparkling in stark terror, as if simply touching it with one finger would somehow damage it. The yellow twin finally finished his energon and took curious notice of the newcomer in the room. He released a series of clicks and whirs to get the youngling's attention.

"N-no…I don't wanna' hurt it. I sometimes break things…" the shy youngling admitted and began to draw circles in the floor with the tip of his foot.

"Come on Bluestreak…they are fine. You just have to be gentle. Here, hold him like this."

Starlight instructed the youngling on how to hold the sparkling and before long the little yellow, bundle of wires known as Blaze, was cooing and clicking in the arms of Bluestreak with bright optics. Little hands reached up and touched the youngling's face in curiosity.

"W-what's he doing?"

"He's getting to know you"

Bluestreak wasn't sure what to think of this…but after a while he got used to him.

"I like em'…what's his name?"

"Blaze…and the little red sparkling still in recharge is Chase. They are twin brothers."

The youngling blinked his optics rapidly for a second, and tilted his head in absolute confusion. Fireflare took that opportunity to explain what twins were while Starlight picked up the red twin who had just awoken out of recharge.

The moment the red twin spotted his brother in the arms of the little blue youngling, he kicked his little legs and reached his arms out, expecting his yellow twin to return to him. He clicked and chirped trying to get his brother's attention but Blaze was too preoccupied studying the minibot holding him. When no response was forthcoming, his adorable little face scrunched up and his vents worked overtime, alerting his guardians that he was about to release audio shattering shrieks.

An enticing bottle of low-grade energon was brought into his line of vision and it immediately distracted him. He chirruped and grabbed it with his two little hands and eagerly guzzled it, temporarily forgetting about his yellow twin.

A few breems later and the twins were toddling around, chasing after Bluestreak who giggled madly in delight when they tried to follow him. He allowed the sparklings to catch him and they climbed all over him, accidentally tickling the youngling's sensitive wiring in the process.

Pretty soon, the excitement died down when the twins clicked tiredly, heads drooping as they drifted back into recharge. Starlight picked the two up and settled them back into their padded, recharge berth covered in soft, warm blankets.

Bluestreak was once again confused.

"Why are they tired?"

"Sparklings recharge a lot when they are young. They have to get used to running on energon before they can be a hyper little youngling like you," Fireflare scooped Bluestreak up and tickled him.

Starlight sent a warning glare in their direction, saving Bluestreak from his tickle-induced laughing fits.

"Come on, we need to leave Starlight and the younglings to recharge now," Fireflare took the ornery femme's hint.

Bluestreak pouted and his shoulders sagged.

"Aww…do we have to?"

"We will come back to check on them later, how about that?"

The youngling's optics brightened at the idea and he smiled at the prospect, perking up.

The caretaker and blue youngling left the room, leaving the sparkling twins and Starlight alone.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Loud warning Klaxons broke the peaceful silence, jolting the recharging residents in the Youth Sector, awake. Starlight retrieved the screaming twins from their recharge berths, her spark fluttering fearfully in her chest as she feared the worst.

Something impacted with the asteroid near the facility, sending frightening tremors beneath their feet. Younglings outside shrieked in terror when the power went out, now bathing the rooms and hallways in red, strobe lights.

Starlight hit the com unit on the wall, trying desperately not to panic.

"Fireflare…what's happening?"

"I'm not sure but I'll find out and meet you in the safe room when I know something!"

"Please hurry!"

The twins clicked and chirped fearfully. They could sense something wasn't right through the infant bond they had with their motherly caretaker. She pressed her lip components to the tops of their sparkling helms in a reassuring kiss and then ran to the end of the hall.

Another impact struck the facility head-on, resulting in the collapse of part of the ceiling above Starlight's head. She shouted a warning to a small group of younglings before diving aside, shielding the twins from the debris with her own body. Out of the corner of her optics she saw the younglings run out of harm's way just in time. She on the other hand, was not as fortunate.

A large chunk of the support plating connected with the side of her head, sending her offline into repair-stasis. When the dust cloud cleared, Starlight's lower half was buried beneath asteroid rocks and ceiling rubble. The sparklings crawled out from beneath her protective embrace and nudged her body with their little hands worriedly, buzzing and clicking in distress when she did not respond. The red twin twittered at his brother before toddling off. Blaze frantically clicked and he tried to stop Chase from leaving but tripped and fell with a loud squeak. Tears filled his optics as he sat back on his aft, his knee plating scuffed and throbbing. Before he could release his pent up cries, two near identical hands to his own reached down and lightly touched first the hurt knee and then his face, wiping some of his tears away.

Chase had come back to him when he felt his brother's pain.

They felt something strange, in their sparks. It was as if they had become fully aware of each other. Even though they hadn't mastered true speech yet, they were somehow able to communicate what words could not. Their newly realized spark-bond enabled them to do this.

/You stay/

The yellow twin shook his little head with tears in his optics, silently pleading with him not to leave him.

/No go, stay/

The red twin gently touched his brother's face again and then released a distressed whine when he walked back to their hurt caretaker. He looked down from Starlight and then back up to his brother, trying to make him understand.

/I find help. You stay/

The yellow one understood now…and somehow he knew that his brother knew.

Chase turned to leave again but turned around when he sensed his brother's distress even though Blaze had said nothing.

The red sparkling touched his brother's cheek lightly, hoping to reassure him.

/I come back/

Blaze crooned mournfully, knowing that there was nothing he could do to keep his brother there with him and watched him leave.

The yellow sparkling sat down buzzing and clicking in distress the longer that his twin was gone. He yearned for his brother's close proximity again. It caused his spark to ache the longer they were separated. They had never been apart until now.

Just when the yellow twin was about to pitch a fit and scream at the top of his vocal capacitor, a little blur of blue ran around the corner.

Bluestreak's optics widened when he saw the situation that Starlight was in. Just then, Fireflare slid around the corner holding Chase in his arms. He gasped at the sight that greeted his optics. After setting the sparkling down, he hurriedly shoved the debris off and gently pulled her free. He caressed her cheek with one hand in the hopes of waking her.

"Starlight?"

No response.

The caretaker looked down at the youngling and the two sparklings. When he spoke next, his voice trembled as he struggled to hold back his raging emotions.

"Bluestreak…I need you to take the sparklings to the safe room, do you think you can do that for me?"

"Yes, Fireflare"

Bluestreak obediently walked slowly down the hall with them, disappearing around a corner and out of sight.

The safe room was actually an entire lower level of the complex, built beneath the surface of the asteroid. It served as a bunker in the event of an attack or natural disaster that had sometimes occurred. Fireflare had already been on his way to inform her that there was no Decepticon attack…just another meteor shower that had been long overdue.

Their backup generator kicked on at that moment, brightening the entire complex with light. The warning klaxons and strobe lights were powered down by the tech crew that operated and maintained the facility. They were responsible for raising and lowering the deflector shield in the event of another meteor shower or an electromagnetic storm. The crew had just barely managed to get the thing up in time but not before some damage had been dealt to the station.

Fireflare gingerly scooped up the femme into his arms and ran for all he was worth to the safe house repair bay. The medic, First Aid, was on duty tending to some others who had been wounded by similar cave-ins. It didn't take him long and before they knew it, it was Starlight's turn.

"Let me take a look."

Fireflare fidgeted nervously, hoping to Primus that she was okay. They grew up together, she and him. They had been friends since the day they had met as younglings in Youth Sector Zeta-5 on Cybertron after their creators had been killed in a riot when the planet first split into opposing factions.

He had been working up the courage, to ask Starlight to be his spark-mate. Now he was unsure if he would ever get the chance. His worries were soon put to rest.

"It's nothing serious…minor cranial trauma that sent her into stasis-repair. She'll come out of it in a breem or two."

"Thank you, First Aid."

First Aid turned back around to assist with another injured youngling, kindly administering repairs with ease and skill.

Bluestreak walked in at that moment, carrying one of the twins in his arms while the other followed like a little lost puppy.

"Is she okay?"

Fireflare looked down to see the kids and smiled.

"She is just fine. First Aid says that she'll wake up soon."

"Good…cause the sparklings are getting fussy…" Bluestreak made a sour face, right as one and then both sparklings began to wail again.

Fireflare picked them up, trying to hush them softly when Starlight's optics brightened. She sat up quickly, nearly knocking heads with Fireflare and panicked, looking frantically around the room for the sparklings. The nanosecond she had come online, she realized they were not longer in her arms.

"The sparklings!!"

"Are right here," Fireflare chuckled as he handed them back to her.

She visibly relaxed when they were with her, both of the fussy sparklings no longer shrieking. They both stared intently at the femme before crooning and touching her face gently as if to say, 'we're glad you are okay'. They snuggled against her, basking in the warmth of her spark, the excitement over for the day.

Bluestreak stood on his tippy-toes trying to see what was happening on the top of the large exam table.

"I can't see!"

Fireflare laughed softly and picked him up so that the youngling had a better view of the sleepy twins.

"They are gonna recharge… **again?**" Bluestreak squeaked with surprise.

"Give it a few more orns and they will be awake for longer periods of time."

"Slag it…" the youngling mumbled dejectedly.

"**Language**," Fireflare reprimanded in a warning tone, causing the youngling to cringe in his arms.

"Hey Bluestreak…come play with us!"

About three younglings of various ages stood in the doorway of the repair bay and smiled excitedly at him.

Fireflare sighed as he looked back at the sparklings. They grew up so fast.

Pretty soon, the twins would be younglings. At least they already made one friend. Bluestreak seemed to take to the two of them very quickly. Speaking of which…

The blue youngling shook his head 'no', looking shyly back at them.

"Maybe later"

They seemed to accept his answer readily enough and ran off to find some other youngling to join them. Fireflare looked down at the youngling in his arms in confusion.

"Why didn't you go with them?"

Bluestreak was hesitant to reply and kept his attention focused on the softly clicking sparklings as their baby blue optics blinked tiredly up at Starlight.

Fireflare knew that Bluestreak was sometimes a quiet, reserved youngling in his own right…but the caretaker had never seen him actually refuse to _play_ with anyone before now.

Then the caretaker heard it. It was so soft that for a second, his audios had completely missed the sound. He suddenly realized why the youngling had refused to go and play.

Starlight was singing a lullaby.

_Your baby blues…so full of wonder_

_Your curly cues, your contagious smile_

_As I watch…you start to grow up_

_All I can do…is hold you tight_

_Knowing—_

The little youngling was enraptured by her voice and before he knew it, he was curling up tiredly against Fireflare as the need to recharge slowly crept up on him.

_Clouds will rage and…storms will race in_

_But you will be safe in my arms_

_Rains will pour down, waves will crash all around_

_But you will be safe, in my arms._

_In my arms_

The soft, melodious voice of Starlight soothed both sparklings and younglings alike. Before they knew it, they were in deep recharge, their systems revving quietly.

The Alpha-Sigma Youth Sector was bathed in welcomed peace.

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Not sure when I'll have the next chapter up…possibly this weekend. I'm actually kind of scared to continue.

I think I really, really suck at writing fluffy youngling/sparkling stories. I'll just say it now.

If you say YAY or NAY to this, please review! Consider it a vote.


	3. Bluestreak's Fight

Author's Note: I've decided to continue this story thanks to the readers that have encouraged me to keep at it. The idea of a 'scruff-bar' is Karategal's idea, I do believe, who gave me permission to use it. Thanks Karategal!! *Big grin*

Chase=Sideswipe

Blaze= Sunstreaker

_Thank you to: Blood Shifter 2, chimeronette, FunkyFish1991, Shimmershadow30, Cman710, Elita One, and Kick-Aft for reviewing!!_

**Chapter 3**

Dark blue optics narrowed fiercely in anger.

"Say you're sorry!"

The older youngling smirked and leaned smugly back against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Why should I? The little sparkling _tripped._"

"I _saw_ you **push** him!" Bluestreak growled as dangerously low as his high pitched youngling voice would allow.

"Okay I give…I'm sorry that your clumsy sparkling friend tripped himself." He rudely snickered in amusement.

"Say sorry, Hotshot!" Bluestreak's voice jumped into a high squeak, the angrier he got.

The little, defenseless youngling known as Cliffjumper was sitting on his aft, bawling his optics out. This little one had arisen to full youngling status about a vorn before the twins had arrived and was one of the youngest in the Alpha-Sigma Youth Sector. Two orns ago, Cliffjumper had chosen a designation for him-self and had scanned his first alt-mode, although he still had to learn how to transform into it. Most younglings accomplished this feat at least a vorn after scanning it, although some fast learners could do it in half that time.

He had been on his way to the common room to watch a holo-vid since it was movie night but the flame colored, older youngling had violently pushed him down when Cliffjumper had darted in front of him to get through the door. Bluestreak was on his way to visit the twins when he chanced upon the scene, witnessing the entire spectacle. The blue youngling immediately jumped to the little minibot's defense.

"SAY IT!" Bluestreak's little body was quivering with barely contained fury.

The flame colored youngling leaned forward a little bit, his smirk still in place, and with arms crossed he replied in a cocky voice.

"Make me!"

Bluestreak lunged for him shrieking in absolute rage, catching the other completely off guard. Hotshot didn't really think that the quiet, normally calm youngling would really fight him… especially since most other younglings knew about his hot tempered fighting reputation and avoided Hotshot at all costs.

Bluestreak gladly accepted his arrogant rival's invitation, without any hesitation.

Within nano-seconds the two younglings were rolling around on the ground, punching and kicking one another. This scene of violence, only made little Cliffjumper scream even louder, as more tears squeezed out of his baby blue optics.

A few seconds later and two caretakers who had heard the commotion from within the common room ran out to see the bright, flame-colored youngling getting his aft handed to him by the little blue one. Right as the caretakers had come out into the hall Bluestreak finally managed to pin Hotshot down by sitting on his chest and proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the face in anger.

To say that the caretakers were shocked by this scene was an understatement. Of course they were used to Hotshot's fiery personality but to see the _non-violent_, quiet, calm, reserved, and **well-behaved** Bluestreak dishing out the damage, was the last thing they ever thought they'd witness. Usually, the caretakers had to pull _Hotshot_ off of some poor innocent little youngling who managed to trigger the little fireball's temper.

Before he knew what was happening, he was dangling in the air, still kicking and punching as one of the caretakers held him up out of Hotshot's reach. Once Bluestreak realized he was no longer beating the slag out of Hotshot's face, he stopped struggling and his legs curled up reflexively under his body as the caretaker tightened her grip on his scruff bar, ceasing his violent movements.

Cliffjumper was picked up off of the pristine floor and soothed by the other caretaker. Hotshot scrambled back up to his feet and pouted. Bluestreak had yet to successfully transform into his first alt-mode, so he was unarmored. His little fists caused Hotshot some pain but only left minor dents in his face-plating. If he had grown into his first set of mech armor, the damage would have been far worse. As it was, the only thing that was really damaged was Hotshot's pride.

Both younglings avoided each other's optics, silently fuming while they were both picked up and hauled to First-Aid's repair bay. Although Bluestreak was the victor in the skirmish, he suffered the worst. There were numerous dents and scrapes on his highly malleable, youngling, arm and leg plating. His little fingers and hands were scratched and small rivulets of energon leaked from the deeper gashes on his knuckle struts—injuries that were not caused by Hotshot's blows but by his own furious assault on the elder youngling's, lightly armored face. Armor Hotshot had obtained when he successfully transformed into his first alt-mode, as all younglings were privileged with after their first achievement.

If it wasn't for the fact that Hotshot had his first set of youngling armor, Bluestreak might not have hurt himself, but his rage had blinded him to his actions. The little blue bot was only orns away from getting his own. Once he had armor like Hotshot…that bot wouldn't stand a chance next time.

Bluestreak's air vents worked overtime to cool his internal systems, moving his little chest up and down with every intake of air. As the caretaker carried him by his scruff bar, his little legs remained curled under his body, his arms were crossed, and a scowl that looked more like an adorable pout was written on his face for all to see when they entered the repair ward.

First-Aid turned to greet them from where he had been sitting at his station, filling out reports and the like.

"What can I do for you?"

The doctor's eyes immediately shifted to that of the two little ones, since the majority of his patients, were the younglings of the Youth Sector.

"These two younglings got into a fight…thought you might want to have a look at them."

The caretaker deposited them both on an exam table, both younglings immediately lunging for each other again. First-Aid was quicker and scooped up Hotshot and held the squirming youngling in his arms.

"Hotshot, that is quite enough!"

Hotshot cringed at First-Aid's harsh scolding and settled down but glared defiant daggers in Bluestreak's direction. The little blue bot stuck his tongue out at him before turning his head to look at the wall.

First-Aid quickly examined Hotshot and sighed.

"This one is fine, he may go."

The caretaker nodded his head and retrieved Hotshot before the hot tempered youngling did anything rash, like try to tackle Bluestreak off of the exam table and resume their fight.

It only took one scan on First-Aid's part and he shook his head negatively.

"I'm going to have to help this little one. I'll bring him back to his designated caretaker for punishment when I'm through."

"Very well"

With that said the caretaker turned and left, taking the growling little spitfire with him.

Once they were out of sight and the repair bay doors closed, First-Aid looked down at Bluestreak with concern. He was well aware of the little one's personality and knew for certain that the blue youngling would never pick a fight with anyone, unless it was for good reason.

"Youngling…what happened?"

First Aid took out his tools to begin repairing the little one's injuries.

At first, Bluestreak remained tight lipped and refused to respond to any of his questions. Once the pain receptors in his hands caught his attention, tears leaked from his optics and he started to sob.

First-Aid who was ever compassionate, rubbed soothing circles across the youngling's back panels.

"H-he…pushed Cliffjumper down, a-and I told him to say s-sorry but he didn't!" Bluestreak's voice quivered as he curled in on himself into a little ball, the tell-tale sign that the youngling was subconsciously seeking comfort. The Youth Sector's medic scooped up the youngling and held him protectively, while patiently waiting for him to continue.

"I-I was so mad, that I hit him! Cliffjumper was crying…Hotshot wouldn't say sorry," Bluestreak cried pathetically, turning tear-filled, baby-blue optics on the elder mech.

First-Aid began to run soothing fingers across the little one's sensors on his sensitive cranial unit, immediately calming him. Before long, the crying youngling was reduced to soft squeaks and clicks as the last of his raging emotions died down. He snuggled into the comforting medic's embrace, his hurts momentarily forgotten.

"I think I understand the situation," First Aid reassured before setting the youngling back down on the table.

"Bluestreak, I need you to hold still, for just a nano-second."

The medic deftly took the youngling's pain receptors off-line and then began to repair his damaged hands.

"Little one…there is something you must know."

Bluestreak clicked tiredly in response, temporarily regressing to sparkling speech, as many younglings did when they were put through a great deal of stress.

"I am very proud of you, for what you did today."

"Huh?"

The medic continued once he knew that he had the youngling's undivided attention.

"You stood up for Cliffjumper. It is a noble and admirable quality, to defend the weak."

First Aid placed the tools down and began to wrap the youngling's hands in bandages so that the superficial damage in his soft metal plating could heal. He locked optics with the curious youngling, hoping to Primus that the little one took everything he said to spark.

"But that still doesn't give you the right to attack Hotshot."

"After I told him to say sorry, he said _make me_, so I did!"

"Did he say sorry to Cliffjumper after you hit him?"

"No."

"Then attacking him did not solve the problem, did it?"

The youngling sulked and mumbled a dejected "No."

"Violence is not always the answer. If Hotshot had hit you first, you would then be allowed to defend yourself without consequence. Seeing that you _did_ start the fight…Fireflare will be notified and your punishment will be as he sees fit."

At last, First Aid finished tending to the young one's injuries.

"There, all better now."

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome," the medic smiled warmly before moving to clean up the mess he had made.

"I've contacted Fireflare, he is on his way."

Bluestreak nodded his head tiredly and rested on the table until Fireflare arrived.

First-Aid explained the situation in a hushed tone, Fireflare occasionally glancing in the youngling's direction and nodded every so often in response to what the medic was telling him.

"I see. I will take care of him. Thank you, First Aid."

"Not a problem. If you need anything at all, just let me know."

Fireflare scooped up Bluestreak who was too tired to protest and allowed the caretaker to carry him out of the room and down the numerous hallways to get to his assigned quarters.

"Bluestreak?"

"Yes?"

"You have a good spark. The true makings of an Autobot"

The blue youngling had heard of them but had never met one in person… such an encounter was not saved in his memory banks, since he was too young at the time to remember.

"Autobots are good?"

"Yes, very. They stand for justice, truth, and freedom for all beings. Many an Autobot, stood for a weaker race, defended them against the tyranny of the Decepticons who wish only for destruction and power."

Bluestreak yawned and leaned against Fireflare's shoulder as they entered a nearby room. The youngling was rather surprised to see that they were in the shared quarters of Starlight and the twins.

Before the blue bot could question why they were here, two energized little sparklings ran eagerly up to them from across the room, squeaking and clicking in excitement.

"Blue!"

"You are here!"

Both twins wasted no time greeting their friend who was gently lowered to the ground by Fireflare. The little ones noticed the bandages on his hands and the dents all over his arms and legs. Blaze reached up and touched Bluestreak's bandages with concerned optics.

"Blue hurt?"

"Not anymore…First-Aid made me better."

"How you get hurt?" Chase questioned with wide optics.

Even though the sparklings were still mastering speech, they were very intelligent and could understand most of what was said.

"I got into a fight with Hotshot."

"Hotshot mean?"

Bluestreak nodded his head solemnly.

The twins looked at one another and then together they each gently took one of Bluestreak's bandaged hands and led him further into the room to play with them.

Fireflare explained in a soft, hushed voice to Starlight about the state of the youngling. Her optics narrowed in anger when she heard that Hotshot had caused **more** trouble. She hissed back furiously at her co-worker.

"_Hotshot is a little bully! He needs discipline and proper supervision! Where was his caretaker when this happened?"_

While the two adults continued to whisper furiously amongst themselves, the youngling and two sparkling twins worked on building a tower out of small metal cubes. After a while, Chase stood up from where he had been sitting and scampered up next to Bluestreak and sat there watching him intently.

Bluestreak tried to ignore him and focused on building the structure with Blaze but eventually, the creepy feeling that he was being watched drove the youngling fritzy, so he finally turned to him.

"What!"

"Mean bot needs trouble!"

Bluestreak thought he understood what he was trying to say.

"Yeah…the caretakers will punish him."

"No...I hurt mean one!"

With those words Chase scrambled away and pumped his tiny sparkling legs as fast as they could go, heading straight for the door. Of course, this caught the attention of his yellow twin who immediately ran after him, accidentally knocking down the tower of cubes. Bluestreak's optics widened in shocked disbelief when he really understood what Chase had been telling him.

"NO! Come back you guys!"

The two caretakers were pulled out of their heated argument over Hotshot's future punishment detail when their sensors detected the two sparklings and one youngling scamper full kilter out of the door.

Bluestreak was relieved when first one and then the other sparkling were plucked up off of the ground, both squeaking and chirping in anger, at the amused looking Fireflare.

"Going somewhere, sparklings?"

Bluestreak sighed softly and raised his hand to get the caretaker's attention.

"They were gonna go after Hotshot cause' they heard that I got hurt in the fight…"

"Is that so?" Fireflare quirked an optic ridge at the two furiously twittering sparklings in his hands. Both sparklings had their optics narrowed and they were kicking and struggling to get free of the caretaker's strong grasp.

"Mean bot hurt Blue!"

"We go hurt mean one!"

Both twins found a brief moment to vocalize their thoughts before reverting back to angry chirps, one of the twins actually hissing, he was so mad.

"What has gotten into them?" Starlight took the hissing twin from Fireflare and began to calm him down by massaging his little head, Chase's internal motor soon purred in contentment. The sparkling's body relaxed and he leaned into the soothing fingers of Starlight, the previous situation utterly forgotten.

It was a good thing sparklings had short term memory loss. Or there would be pit to pay.

By the time a sparkling advanced to youngling-hood, their memory core would be completely developed, allowing them to begin storing long-term memory files. For the twins, this day was not far off. They only had approximately three orns left until they were no longer considered sparklings.

It was a sweet thing though, to see just how close the twins and Bluestreak really were.

It was almost as if the little sparklings viewed the youngling as an older brother. Perhaps he was.

The caretakers took the little ones back into the room, announcing that it was recharge-time. The youngling groaned but obediently trudged over to his recharge berth. The sparklings were eager to get their little hands on another bottle of low-grade energon. Once their tanks were full, the two sparkling twins snuggled next to each other, not yet old enough to sleep in seperate berths.

Starlight and Fireflare shared a knowing smile as they watched the little ones tiredly click themselves into recharge.

It had been a long day.

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing this story! Updates from now on...could get a little slow, so please bear with me.

Approximate Ages: (Equivalent to an Earth child) 

Bluestreak= 7 years old

Hotshot= 10 years old

Cliffjumper= 5 years old

Twins= 2 years old


	4. The Forbidden Area

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter was a little delayed. College has stolen my life… O.O So, this chapter is extra long, just for you! _Thanks Karategal for inspiring this story!_

Oh, and as a side note, this story is completely slash-free. The relationships are either friendship or family based. I did not go into detail about the twins' naming ceremony even though I mentioned that is what would happen when they chose their own youngling designations. So enjoy! THANKS FOR REVIEWING!!

Sunny= Sunstreaker

Sides= Sideswipe

Units of Time: Cybertron

Sparkling - Newborn

Youngling - Child

Breem - 8.3 Earth minutes

Joor - 6.5 Earth hours

Orn - 13 Earth days

Vorn - 83 Earth years

**Chapter 4**

One vorn later…

Two sets of fascinated baby-blue optics widened in disbelief.

"Do it again!"

The older youngling grinned and obliged them, shifting easily into his alt-mode until a small, moon-buggy type vehicle sat innocently in the place of the minibot. Bluestreak achieved this through lots of practice until he had finally accomplished his first transformation.

The twins had just recently graduated to youngling status and the second they saw their friend change, begged him to do it again.

Bluestreak smirked, more than willing to show off a little. He transformed back, standing upright again, displaying his first set of youngling armor proudly. He took a small bow grinning audio to audio, earning loud applause from his small audience.

A sinister set of narrowed optics peered from around a nearby corner, watching the proceedings with malice. The excited younglings were completely unaware of any uninvited guests lingering about in the shadows.

The twins took the opportunity to tackle their friend, earning more giggles from Bluestreak as their small hands and feet tickled his sensitive wiring. They wrestled playfully for a few more minutes, filling the hallway with laughter until the yellow twin sat perched on top of Bluestreak's chest, peering intently into his face.

"Blue looks different!" he squeaked while reaching out a tiny hand to lightly touch the armor- plating adorning his face and head.

"Is it a cool, different?" the elder youngling questioned with a hopeful expression.

The little yellow bot nodded his head enthusiastically. Bluestreak brought his hands up and began to mercilessly tickle the yellow youngling's midsection. He gasped through teary optics as he pleaded with the blurry figure standing to his right.

"Sides, help me!!"

A little whirlwind of red, threw him-self back into the fray with a happy shriek. The trio's fun was soon disturbed when a dark shadow was cast over them. They looked up to see who it was and froze.

Bluestreak climbed warily to his feet, standing protectively in front of the twins in the event anything should happen.

"What do you want, Hotshot?"

The flame colored youngling smirked and crossed his arms arrogantly.

"So you got your armor, finally."

"Yeah…I did," Bluestreak cautiously answered, secretly wondering where he was going with this.

"It only took you what…two vorns to get it?" Hotshot delivered the scathing insult.

The blue youngling sighed, doing his best to hide the fact that his insult did hurt him. It was true…that Bluestreak was a little over a vorn late achieving his first transformation. To be honest, he had forgotten about the bully known as Hotshot, when the hot-tempered youngling had his recreation time revoked. He had practically disappeared from the Sector…until now.

"What do you want?" Bluestreak repeated with a half-growl and narrowed optics.

"All I want…is a simple rematch…just you and me…no interference this time."

The twins walked out from behind their blue friend, both of the small younglings standing on either side of Bluestreak. Sides crossed his little arms over his chest with a pout.

"Blue is gonna kick your skid-plate for good!"

Hotshot leered at him, optics glittering dangerously.

"I'd be careful if I were you, _sparkling._"

The yellow twin, who had been watching the exchange between Hotshot and his brother silently, took a run at him. He had only been able to run three steps before Bluestreak caught him and held him back while the little one kicked and squeaked with rage.

"Let me go! Let me at him!"

"No Sunny…it's okay."

Sides appeared next to them and touched his brother's arm with soft affection, his optics worried. He must have had some sort of calming influence since the yellow twin ceased his angry struggles.

Hotshot re-directed his heated glare to Bluestreak's calm face.

"Remember to leave the little sparklings at home. I would hate for any…_accidents_ to happen should they get in the way."

Bluestreak narrowed his eyes at the threat against his friends.

"Time and place"

"The East crater…one orn from now."

The blue youngling's face contorted into one of shock as his composure crumpled.

"But that is outside past the safety zone! We aren't allowed out there!"

Hotshot shrugged casually.

"Are you a scared little sparkling? I'll understand if you don't show…" the red and orange colored youngling's arrogant tone returned as he continued to leer.

Bluestreak spoke softly, holding both twins back as they made another lunge for Hotshot with little, feral growls.

"I'll be there. You can count on it."

"Prepare yourself…loser will take full blame for the fight."

Bluestreak wordlessly nodded his head and watched as Hotshot walked away.

"Why can't we help, Blue?"

"Hotshot is much bigger and far older than you."

"But it would be us three against just one of him!" Sunny whined while tugging on Bluestreak's arm.

The little red twin known as Sides giggled at the prospect, just imagining how that scuffle would turn out.

"Have the two of you ever been in a real fight?"

Sunny began to raise his hand innocently while eying his twin from the corner of his optic but put it down when Sides glared at him.

"The two of you fighting each other, doesn't count," Bluestreak interjected before they could say anything.

A moment of silence ensued, tricking the blue bot into believing the argument was over.

"He'll lose for sure if we help!"

Bluestreak looked down at them and firmly shook his head "no", and walked back to their common room, just outside of their quarters on the other side of the Youth Sector, the twins following in his shadow wordlessly. He was rather surprised that none of the caretakers had overheard them, making plans for a fight…let alone making plans to sneak out to the forbidden area.

_The Forbidden Area…_

The one place that even caretakers, refused to go.

The youngling had heard stories, before the twins had ever arrived. Horror stories about what happened to a little youngling many vorns ago, when the Sector had just been built. That youngling had snuck off beyond the safety zone when his caretaker was recharging…only to disappear and never return. Some argued that the youngling had just gotten lost. Others claimed that a giant monster that lived deep in the crater had eaten him. It didn't matter which version you believed, the fact of the matter was…the youngling had never been found.

When they got to the common area, he sighed through his vents and sat down. He gestured for the twins to join him.

"I don't want you guys going out there because it's too dangerous. I don't mean about Hotshot…I can handle him just fine. It's...about a story every youngling has heard in this Sector. It's about the Forbidden Area."

The twin's optics widened at this and they leaned forward a bit in curiosity as Bluestreak began to tell them the tale of the "Missing Youngling", his optics dimming at the memory of when he was first told the tale.

"_Long ago…when Alpha-Sigma was first built…back when this asteroid was still unexplored and filled with many dangers…one of the younglings snuck off while his caretaker was recharging and went to the Forbidden area…"_

About an hour later, the story came to a close.

"…_the caretakers ran out the nanosecond they heard the youngling's screams…and the asteroid monster disappeared, the moment the caretaker's came out to look for him. No one ever found the youngling… or pieces of him for that matter… even to his orn. The end"_

He looked over at them, as his optics brightened as he snapped back to reality, to see that both were quivering with fright, unshed tears shining in their wide, baby-blue optics. The blue youngling silently cursed himself at his stupidity. He had forgotten just how young they really were.

Starlight and Fireflare were gonna off-line him permanently…

Just then, the two caretaker's in question entered the common room and immediately spotted both him and the two frightened little younglings.

"Bluestreak…what happened?" Starlight questioned while picking Sunny up. He immediately buried his face into her shoulder, squeaking and sniffling. Fireflare scooped up Sides and cradled the whimpering youngling. The red twin curled up into a ball as he buried his face into the caretaker's chest.

They continued to shiver and Bluestreak knew he was in trouble.

"I just told them the story about the Missing Youngling…and—"

Starlight cut him off with an upraised hand, while she continued to hold the yellow twin in the other.

"Bluestreak…you _know_ better! They are still _too_ young to listen to scary stuff like that! You are confined to quarters until further notice."

The blue youngling cringed away from her sharp, reprimanding tone and immediately looked down at the floor in shame.

He didn't mean to scare them…it's just that…he would never forgive himself if they went out there with him and happened to get eaten by the asteroid monster when he was busy fighting Hotshot.

It took a lot of effort on his part to raise his head and look her in the optic. Once he did, he choked out an apology, intimidated by her angry glare. She was probably one of the most overprotective caretaker's in the Sector. Then again, that's why she was the head caretaker since she took both the physical and mental well-being of all the younglings, very seriously.

Now that Bluestreak thought about it…the twins would probably have nightmares about the asteroid monster, thanks to him.

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me…" her voice and expression softened.

She shifted her gaze to the twin in her arms, who was quietly sobbing into her shoulder.

Bluestreak's legs felt like lead as he walked closer, wracked with guilt. Starlight bent down on one knee so that he could actually reach Sunny. He was about to touch him to get his attention but refrained. Instead he whispered softly.

"Sunny…I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

The twin shifted in her arms and slowly peeked out from the safety of the caretaker's shoulder to look at him, with teary optics. He nodded his head and then wiggled to get down. Starlight released her hold on him and watched the following exchange with a soft smile.

"I forgive you, Blue."

Sunny leaned over and hugged the older youngling around the waist, his head only coming up to his chest. Bluestreak smiled, feeling partial relief at Sunny's willingness to forgive him so easily and hugged him back. His apologies were far from over.

The yellow twin frowned when he sensed something wrong and turned in the direction of his brother. Bluestreak followed his gaze and sighed to see that the red twin's sobs had picked up in intensity, still shivering against Fireflare's chest in fear.

Fireflare knelt down in order to give Bluestreak a chance to apologize but the red youngling shrieked, halting his movements.

"NO!"

"Bluestreak wants to apologize, little one."

The red twin continued his cries, refusing to let go of Fireflare. He managed to cry out one more thing in his squeaky, youngling voice before burying his head back into his chest again.

"Don't put me down… or the asteroid monster's gonna EAT me!!"

More tears squeezed out of his optics as he clung to the caretaker in absolute terror.

Bluestreak's spark nearly froze in his chest. For a moment, the blue youngling felt a painful jolt race through his spark bringing tears to his own optics. What had he done?

"Sides…I-I'm…so, so sorry!"

He choked out in abject sorrow, immediately running past him and out of the room. The loud hiss of a door followed as he sought the safety of his quarters.

Sunny was about to follow him but Starlight stopped him with gentle words.

"He needs some time, alone. Let him be."

Bluestreak got up on his recharge berth and curled into a ball, trying to hold in the quiet sobs as the guilt continued to eat away at him.

He wasn't sure how long he stayed that way. It could have been breems…or even orns. What he did know was that there was no way he was going to stay confined indoors. He would find a way to bypass the lock once his punishment began. He still had to go out and fight Hotshot or risk being called a coward the rest of his life. He was no sparkling…he would show him.

Meanwhile, the two concerned caretakers and anxious yellow twin finally managed to calm Sides down. A few breems later and he was sitting with his twin on the floor, Sunny doing his best to comfort him. Starlight and Fireflare took that opportunity to check on Bluestreak, leaving the twins alone for a little while.

The little red youngling would occasionally shiver and click quietly to himself, as he clutched his favorite yellow blanket to his chest. When they were sparklings, they were wrapped in blankets that matched their plating color, so as not to confuse them. Once they became younglings, they traded blankets since the colors reminded them of each other. Sunny sat across from him, studying his twin silently. After another minute, the yellow twin sidled up next to him and patted his brother's back gently as he had often seen the caretakers do.

"It's okay…I'm here, Sides."

It was funny…how the twins had chosen their designations. Sunny picked his name because of the stories Starlight had told him about their creator, Sunshine. He wanted to honor her memory in some way even though he never got to meet her…plus his twin pointed out that his armor was yellow, like the sun.

Sides on the other hand, had trouble picking his name. Then one day it just came to him as he was playing right beside his twin. He was always at his brother's side. They were rarely apart. So that was going to be his designation...Sides.

The red twin turned his head to look at him with tears shining in his baby-blue optics. He held his arms out expectantly to Sunny with a trembling lower lip.

The yellow twin understood immediately what it was his brother needed, through their spark bond and wrapped his twin in a comforting embrace.

Starlight and Fireflare came out into the common room at that moment to see the spark-warming sight.

They tip-toed quietly, out the room to go check on other business trusting that the two young ones would be alright for now.

The twins pulled apart, looking each other in the face a moment and then Sunny crooned worriedly when he saw the tears still leaking from his brother's optics. The red twin had one hand over his chest, where his spark was. He felt something he couldn't explain and looked to his twin for the answer.

"I feel funny."

Sunny gasped a moment when he felt the same thing and looked down at his own chest, worriedly.

"Me too"

"What is it?"

Sunny shrugged unable to come up with an answer.

Through their spark bond, they were able to communicate the love that they felt for each other.

Sides smiled at the fuzzy, warmth and squeaked back.

"I'm glad we're brothers."

That last word, reminded them both…their older brother was currently all alone.

They both turned their heads simultaneously in the direction of Bluestreak's room. Without a word, they went over and tapped on the door lightly. A muffled "go away" drifted back out to them.

"Blue, it's us!"

No response.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sides, I'm really sorry…about…" the blue youngling's voice trailed off on the other side of the closed door.

This barrier was actually starting to get on the twin's nerves.

"Open the door!"

"I can't. It's locked."

The twins shared a look and then ran off into the next room.

Bluestreak waited patiently, figuring that they were up to something.

They worked together in unison, bringing all of the toy blocks outside of the door and then they built a small platform on which to climb up on.

This racket did not go unnoticed by the trapped youngling who demanded to know what was going on. His two little companions did not grace him with a response, both so focused in their work that they didn't really hear him anyway.

Sides crawled up and with Sunny giving him directions, guided his twin in thumbing open the door lock. The little light went from red to green, signaling that the door was now unlocked. The door slid open revealing a stunned Bluestreak.

"How did…how did you guys do that?"

The twins shared another look, big smiles crossing their faces as they looked up at the elder youngling.

"We used blocks to climb up and open the door."

"Oh…why didn't I think of that…?" Bluestreak rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

The twins and Bluestreak put the blocks back in the room and then stood there silently for a moment before the older youngling sighed heavily.

"Look…I have to go fight Hotshot soon. You guys have to promise not to follow me. It's dangerous out there and I—"

A block sailed through the air and hit Bluestreak in the forehead. He rubbed his slightly dented head in pain and glared down at the yellow twin who was innocently pointing one finger at his frowning brother.

"The asteroid monster might get you…don't go."

"I have to, Sides…"

The red twin's big, baby-blue optics filled again with watery tears and his lower lip quivered for emphasis.

Bluestreak tried ever so hard to resist the face…that innocent, worried, sad little face…that…

Slag it all.

The blue youngling rubbed his sore head, tiredly and frowned.

"Well if I don't go, Hotshot is gonna' call me a sparkling for the rest of my life!"

The twins shared a mischievous smile and looked back at Bluestreak.

"We have a better idea…"

"We do?" Sunny looked at Sides in confusion.

The red twin nodded his head vigorously and leaned over to whisper in his brother's right audio. Sunny's optics widened and he smiled up at Bluestreak proudly.

"Yup…we have an idea."

"What kind of idea…"

Bluestreak listened intently to the twins' proposition and before long he was snickering evilly.

"You know what…this might just work."

The three ran out of the room, to gather the supplies they needed. If a curious youngling or a suspicious caretaker asked them what they needed with a wide array of paint cans, spray paint, cotton balls, glue, and glitter…they innocently told them that they were doing a special art project for their assigned caretakers. No bot was the wiser…

Pretty soon they snuck into the target's quarters after slipping past the recharging caretaker and Bluestreak had to hastily clamp one hand over Sunny's mouth when he began to giggle out loud. The trio stared at the recharging figure with wide, frightened optics as the being shifted a moment but then went still again. Bluestreak silently released the air he held in his vents and they got to work.

When a youngling was in deep recharge…it was next to impossible to wake them up. Everyone knew this. It was like a universal law or something...

The twins learned this, after attempting to wake up Bluestreak to come and play with them, only to receive an occasional click or tired grunt in response as the tired youngling recharged in peaceful bliss.

Thus the trio was able to complete their devious mission in record time, without fear of their target coming out of recharge any time soon. Then they turned and fled, barely containing their giggles. They returned their borrowed supplies to the nearby utility closet and slipped silently into the holo-vid room to watch a movie.

_One orn later…_

The massive hallways of Youth Sector Alpha-Sigma echoed with the shrill shriek of one of its young inhabitants.

Wide-eyed younglings and caretakers alike moved out of the enraged youngling's way as he marched furiously down the hallway with murderous intent. Light snickers soon turned into loud giggles, as the bots he left behind in his trail fell to the floor in fits of merciless laughter. His right optic was twitching the nanosecond he arrived in the recreation room where a small crowd of younglings was gathered around the holo-vid watching a movie. Others, who had been playing games, froze when they saw who had just walked through the door. It was so silent, a pin could drop. The scowling youngling broke the silence, easily enough.

"WHO DID THIS TO ME?!"

Every head turned to look at him. Some of the caretaker's snorted, immediately clamping hands over their faces in a nearly failed attempt to hold in amused chuckles. A few caretaker's pretended to cough and looked away at something else, or risk losing all composure.

What every pair of wide, unbelieving, optics saw…was a rainbow painted youngling who had stripes of red, yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, and pink, running in diagonal lines from head to foot, covering every inch of his once pristine, youngling armor. Wads of vibrantly painted cotton balls were glued to the poor youngling's head, like some sort of organic growth...

"WHOEVER DID THIS TO ME IS GOING TO PAY!!"

Sunny, Sides, and Bluestreak struggled to keep straight faces…but once the rest of the room let loose with howling laughter, they joined right in.

"I MEAN IT, I'LL GET YOU BACK!!"

The youngling continued to shriek death threats at everyone above the noise. One of the caretaker's actually took pity on him and ran over, ushering him gently out of the door while shooting glares at her co-workers. The other caretaker's immediately took the hint and with smiles and grins, finally managed to calm the rest of the younglings down.

The twins and Bluestreak shared hi-fives once he left.

"I don't think Hotshot will want to fight you looking like _that_…" Sunny giggled from where he was perched in Bluestreak's lap.

Bluestreak gazed down at his head with affection and smiled.

"I don't think he will want to fight _anyone_ looking like that…"

At least for now...the fight was postponed.

It just so happened, that this was when the little younglings known as Sunny and Sides began their career…as the infamous prankster twins.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Author's note: Please review! Also…I might not be able to update in a while due to the next two weeks being major slag for me. Do not fear, because I never leave a story unfinished! I hope you guys enjoy your weekend.

Equivalent earth ages:

Hotshot= 12 years old

Bluestreak= 9 years old

Twins= 4 years old


	5. Friendship Anew

Author's Note: Unfortunately, due to the increase in college crap (homework mostly) and upcoming finals week, I may not be able to get another post up for another week…or two. Good news is, usually the next update after a long absence is usually a very, very lengthy chapter!

I would like to thank all of you for your marvelous reviews! ^_^

**Chapter 5**

First-Aid finally finished sanding and grinding the paint off of his armor. He never did find out who did it, since there were no witnesses but he did have his suspicions. Even though he was hot-headed and never feared an open confrontation with anyone, Hotshot still operated under his own code. Confronting a suspect without any proof whatsoever was a big no-no in the code he followed. If he so happened to interrogate who he _thought_ did it, only to find out they were innocent…would make him look like a total dumb-aft.

Until he found at least _one _witness…Bluestreak and his little sparkling friends were off-limits. He was confident that a witness would be found soon enough. He was too close to give up his searching now.

He started questioning his fellow younglings but didn't get very far since most of them were scared of him. This appalling truth did not bring Hotshot any pride for once. Instead, he felt highly frustrated. Once he got around to asking caretakers, it became a _little_ easier. Then he found him…the one witness he had been looking for.

"Why, yes I did. They were carrying paint, glue, and cotton-balls down the hall. They said it was for an art project they were making for their caretakers."

"Thank you"

The caretaker smiled at him before returning to his duties.

Now to confirm it!

"Starlight and Fireflare…may I ask you a question please?"

Hotshot stood innocently in the doorway of their common room.

They shared a glance with one another before looking back at him with confused looks on their faces.

"Of course, what do you need youngling?"

He proceeded to question them about the 'art project' that Bluestreak and the twins claimed they were making for them. They had no knowledge of the subject.

"If they are…that is so sweet of them. I hope we didn't ruin the surprise."

Hotshot struggled to contain his barely suppressed fury. His hands clenched into fists at his side.

"No, they finished their 'art-project' about an orn ago. Thank you for clearing that up for me."

He left in a huff, leaving two baffled, curious caretakers behind to discuss his odd appearance at their door.

Time to confront his adversary…

A thrill raced through his systems when he spotted the twins and Bluestreak walking around the corner heading back to their common room he had just vacated. The moment they looked up and saw him they froze in their tracks.

"I **know** it was _you_!"

He marched furiously over until he was standing directly in front of Bluestreak. Hotshot glared daggers at him and resisted the urge to punch him right then and there.

Now, he wasn't a bad youngling, who was _always_ looking for a fight, he was just misunderstood. Perhaps his fiery personality had something to do with his dark past. When Hotshot first reached youngling status…he witnessed the deaths of his two creators at the hands of the Decepticons during a vicious attack on their city. After learning, that the Decepticons had attacked them only because they believed the city was sheltering Autobots did Hotshot's fury and hot-tempered personality truly develop. The youngling both hated and despised both of the warring factions and wanted nothing to do with either of them.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid with me, you slagger…you **know** what I'm talking about!"

The blue youngling struggled to maintain a straight face.

"Yeah, I do. I never knew you wanted to join the circus, Hotshot. That's great!"

Sunny and Sides giggled from where they were standing a few feet away as they watched the two elder younglings escalating conversation and soon to be argument.

"So you **don't **deny it then!"

"Look, you don't have to be so defensive. It's the perfect career choice for you in my opinion."

"I didn't _ask_ for **your** opinion!"

Bluestreak narrowed his optics at his arch-rival and stared Hotshot down.

Both younglings were at a stand-off, neither saying a word.

"We are going to settle this…once and for all, right now," Hotshot managed to growl out.

"Fine, so be it. It's not every day I get to put a sparkling in his place."

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"YOU'RE A SPARKLING! SPARKLING, SPARKLING, SPARKLING, SPARKLING!!"

Just then Starlight and Fireflare peered out from around the common room door into the hall and spotted them.

"What's going on is everything alright?"

"We heard raised voices…"

Once Bluestreak noticed them he laughed weakly. Hotshot turned around and waved with a forced grin as he put an arm around his 'friend' for a second, with incredible effort.

"Just fine"

"We were, uh…"

"...working on the assignment for peace and social justice that…uh…"

"…that Peacemaker gave us for homework."

Both younglings stuttered together to come up with a plausible excuse for all of the shouting. The twins remained silent, simply observing the scene with perceptive optics.

"Oh…okay, if that's all then."

"Glad to see you two are finally getting along."

The two caretakers went back inside, leaving the two younglings to sigh with relief. Hotshot shoved Bluestreak away from him with clear disdain and brushed himself off, as if he had just been touched by something dirty.

"Why don't we take this outside, so no one can interfere?"

Bluestreak nodded his head in silent agreement and followed Hotshot out into the designated 'safe-zone' after passing through one of the airlocks. It was a common play area for the younglings when times were safe. Ever since Decepticon activity had tripled in the neighboring sectors, everyone was forced indoors until further notice.

The twins followed silently, both of the older younglings forgetting that they were even there. Once they got outside Hotshot led him further away from the facility until Bluestreak finally stopped.

"I'm not going any further, Hotshot. This is good enough."

"If we don't keep moving…the security vids are gonna spot us within half a breem!"

Bluestreak glanced back towards the facility and noticed that indeed, the cameras were about to sweep the area again. Slag-it-all…

They continued on until at last they were in the desired location.

"Where are we?"

The orange, yellow, and red colored youngling smirked.

"The East Crater of course."

The East Crater…the forbidden area.

Bluestreak sighed heavily, suddenly weary of their situation. The stress he was feeling managed to squeak through his youngling voice.

"Hotshot…let's get this over with…"

Bluestreak looked around warily, as if expecting a giant asteroid monster to pop out of the landscape around them.

The twins shivered and cowered down near a big rock when they heard that they were in the one place everyone feared to go. They remained unnoticed by their elders.

"Don't be, such a sparkling Blue…now fight me like a mech."

They wasted no time and flew at each other with angry shrieks and yells. It was clear to see that within the first breem, both younglings were equally matched. Hotshot was stunned by this unforeseen outcome. He _never_ lost a fight. Of course, in all reality, he wasn't really losing…but then again he wasn't _winning_ either. It was a stalemate. Neither could get the upper hand. If Hotshot went in for a punch, Bluestreak would dodge. If Bluestreak performed a takedown, Hotshot would sweep his legs out from under him and knock him down too. They wrestled, grappled and fought until at last, both were too tired to continue.

Their vents worked overtime to cool their vital systems down and they slumped down to the ground together.

"Why…won't…you just…QUIT!"

"I…could ask…the same…about you."

Both younglings shared a glare before first one and then the other started laughing.

"I admit…you're pretty good."

"You too"

The twins came out from where they had been watching, finally catching the elder youngling's attention. Bluestreak suddenly looked guilty when he realized he had completely forgotten all about them.

"Sunny…Sides…are you okay?"

He frowned when he noticed that they weren't looking at him but at something above his head.

The twins' optics went wide with wonder and their faces reflected the awe that they were feeling.

"What is that?" Sunny whispered as he pointed up.

Hotshot followed his finger and turned to look up at the sky. The flame colored youngling's vocal processor froze as terror filled his spark. His face contorted into that of stunned horror.

"Oh no…no…NO"

Bluestreak soon followed suit when he understood what the flaming marvel was that they were witnessing in the sky. At first, he had thought that it was just a bunch of shooting stars whizzing by…

"RUN!"

Hotshot yelled and ran past Bluestreak and the twins.

Sunny and Sides had the growing sense that something was terribly wrong…and that the beautiful sight heading right for them, was dangerous. They too, turned and fled after Hotshot while Bluestreak brought up the rear to make sure that they all made it back to the complex in time.

"We have to hurry!!"

Bluestreak stopped long enough to pick up Sunny and had Sides hop on his back as he ran, the idea of transforming into his alternate mode completely slipping his processor. Hotshot was getting further ahead as he was weighed down by the two younglings and he felt himself slowing.

"Hotshot! I can't keep up, wait!"

The flame colored youngling turned back impatiently just as the first meteor struck the surface of the asteroid in the East Crater they had just vacated. More followed suit as a shower of meteors began to rain down behind them. The warning klaxons and strobe lights sounded both inside and outside of the complex. Bluish-white energy built up in the tower arrays strategically placed around the Youth Sector as the energy shield crackled slowly to life.

"HURRY! The shield's going up!!" Hotshot screamed at them, his processor going on the fritz with panic. The flame colored youngling was already in the safety zone right on the edge of the boundary line, the tell-tale hum of the shield preparing to fire up vibrated the very air.

Bluestreak still lagged behind and he locked optics with him…he wasn't going to make it. Something inside of Hotshot's spark broke at the pleading and despairing look and he knew he couldn't just leave them to die.

Hotshot appeared to be waging an internal battle with himself for a second. Then he dove, head first out of the safety boundary just as the shield went up. He rolled back up onto his feet and raced back to Bluestreak. He took one of the younglings from him and they veered away from the complex, running away from the meteor shower that was picking up in intensity just behind them.

Hotshot glanced back and saw that there was no way in the pit that they were going to be able to outrun it. As soon as he completed that thought, one of the meteors impacted the ground a few feet behind them, flinging the four younglings hazardously through the air to land in an unceremonious heap together a few yards ahead. They crawled back up and Hotshot noticed that they were close to one of the caves that dotted the asteroid. There was a chance that they could survive the meteor shower in there…it was shelter. Shelter, meant survival.

"Get up, come on!"

He tugged on Bluestreak, helping his new friend to his feet as he scooped up the smaller younglings and ran for it. Hotshot was a bit older and much stronger than Bluestreak and was able to run just fine with the twins. They were almost there, just a few more yards! Meteors continued to rain down all around them.

Suddenly a whistling sound pierced the air as a larger meteor behind them fragmented into more pieces. Bluestreak craned his neck around to look over his shoulder and his optics widened in terror.

That's when everything went to the pit.

Another meteor impacted a few feet in front of Hotshot, forcing him to dive to the side with the twins. Just as he got up, another impacted the overhang just above him, sending rocks falling down. Bluestreak saw it about to crush him and he sprinted for Hotshot and the twins while screaming a warning.

"HOTSHOT LOOK OUT!"

Hotshot looked up to see the danger, his joints locked up in fearful dread.

The blue youngling bodily tackled Hotshot, shoving the elder youngling and the twins into the mouth of the cave. Bluestreak tripped and fell, just as the landslide of rocks fell on top of him. The flame colored youngling shrieked when he witnessed the scene and scrambled to go back for him. Another meteor impact shook the ground, knocking him off of his feet. Sunny and Sides were clicking and whistling in panic, clinging to each other for comfort. They too, saw Bluestreak disappear under the rocks and wanted very much to go find him…but the scary sounds outside kept them frozen where they were.

Hotshot crawled back over and frantically dug through the rubble in a near frenzy sobbing pathetically. At last he uncovered the still and silent form of Bluestreak. He dragged him in to the cave near the back where it was safe as the meteor shower continued to hail down destruction from the sky.

"Why did you do it Bluestreak? After the way I've acted…you saved me. Why?"

The blue youngling's optics remained dark and when no response was forthcoming, Hotshot sobbed harder. In some small way, he knew that he should be where Bluestreak was now…it would be the least he deserved after all that he had said and done to everyone growing up in the Alpha-Sigma Youth Sector. He supposed that bullying others gave him strength. He hid his anguish and sorrow by trading them for rage. Whenever he was mean and angry to others…it made most of the pain in his spark, go away.

Bluestreak's injured and battered body remained motionless.

"Wake up…come on…don't be a sparkling Bluestreak!"

No response.

Hotshot was getting frantic now as all attempts at waking him failed.

"Please…please wake up! YOU ARE STRONGER THAN THIS!"

Just as his despair began to drown him, a dull dim light emanated from Bluestreak's blue optics. He groaned and struggled to get up but fell back down when his pain receptors came back online.

"Bluestreak, are you okay?"

Hotshot was pretty sure it was a dumb question to ask, considering he had just been buried under a small landslide of rocks, but still.

"No…hurts. Wanna' recharge…"

His optics dimmed dangerously low and that's when Hotshot felt something wet leaking beneath his knee joints where he was kneeling next to his newfound friend. He reached down to touch it and shivered when he realized what it was.

Energon…

He was leaking energon from some injury or another.

Hotshot panicked and began to scream for help once the rumblings and crashing of the meteor shower finally died away. He struggled to the mouth of the cave and searched frantically for help even though they were far from the Youth Sector complex by now.

It was okay…the caretakers surely noticed they were missing and would send out a search party. But Hotshot knew…that Bluestreak was running out of time.

Sunny and Sides crawled over to Bluestreak's side and clicked worriedly for him, both afraid to touch him as they saw the extent of his battered frame.

"SOMEONE HELP US!!"

Hotshot continued to shriek and holler despite the fact that no one was around. He was afraid to pick up Bluestreak for fear of hurting him further. The landscape had been radically changed now that new craters dotted the ground in unfamiliar pockets, making their safe haven seem utterly foreign.

He considered running in the general direction of the blue-domed energy shield that was peeking above the top of a ridge. That idea was completely scrapped the second it disappeared once it deactivated and fizzled from view.

"PLEASE! Help…"

Hotshot sagged to his knees, as all prospect of a rescue slowly slipped away. That old, ache in his spark resurfaced until it threatened to pierce right through him. His rage…the tough, mech façade, the Hotshot that never feared anything…crumbled completely…leaving him totally exposed and vulnerable.

_Please…not again. Why does every person I ever care about, have to die?!_

"I'm so sorry Bluestreak…I don't know what to do," he whispered more to himself as the usually hot-tempered, overconfident, arrogant youngling lowered his head in defeat and looked at the ground in anguish.

A loud sound filled the air, breaking the silence. At first Hotshot thought it was another meteor shower as he felt a small rumble race through the ground beneath him but relaxed a notch when he spotted the ship flying overhead. He waved his arms and screamed trying to get its attention.

"OVER HERE! PLEASE COME BACK! WE NEED HELP!"

It flew over the complex but circled back around, heading straight for him. It landed nearby, sending a cloud of dust up around it.

Before long, he spotted a small contingent of Autobots running in their direction and he waved and jumped to get their attention.

"OVER HERE!"

One of them fired a signal flare into the air to let both the distant outline of Hotshot and the Youth Sector, know that they had found the missing younglings.

He raced back into the cave excitedly and knelt down next to a fading Bluestreak.

"Hang on Blue…help is coming. They are just outside!"

"Too…tired…"

"No…stay with me, okay? Please…Bluestreak, I have to tell you something," Hotshot pleaded as his spark wrenched painfully in his chest.

The blue youngling shuttered his optics in pain but opened them again to look at him. Hotshot continued and held one of Bluestreak's hands in his own as the injured youngling's dim optics stared dully up at him.

"Bluestreak…you can't die…because you are the first friend I've ever had."

Just then, the Autobots rushed into the cave some of them startled to see the condition that the blue youngling was in. One of them shouted for a medic. The medic didn't take too long to get there and he shoved his way through and knelt down next to Bluestreak grimly.

"Youngling…can you hear me?"

A soft click and a whir issued from Bluestreak, the youngling too drained for actual speech.

The medic performed a quick scan and then did some patch work, just enough to get him back to the ship. The medic gently scooped him up, mindful of his condition and carried him out, the other soldiers retrieving the other three younglings. Hotshot was too worried for Bluestreak to protest or pitch a fit. Under normal circumstances, the fiery youngling would be insulted that they were carrying him since he was perfectly capable of walking on his own two feet.

A com-link channel crackled into existence and the soldier carrying Sides responded to the hail.

::Mirage, another meteor shower is due to arrive within the next couple of breems. I suggest you get everyone moving::

::Thank you for the update, Prowl. We will be there shortly::

The medic carrying Bluestreak began to jog after overhearing the conversation. They soon arrived at the ship and boarded immediately. Sunny and Sides stared in total fascination at everything around them, since they had no memory of ever being on a starship before.

The medic took the fading youngling to the repair bay, as the little one's life now hung in the balance.

When the soldiers began to carry Hotshot away from the general direction of Bluestreak he began to kick and shriek, fighting his captors.

"That's enough!"

The barking tone of a superior officer lessened his tantrum although he still squirmed in an effort to get out of the iron grip of the Autobot holding him.

"LET ME GO!"

"What is your name, little one?"

"I'm NOT little!!"

The Autobot Commander half smiled in amusement.

"I'm-not-little…that's a rather unusual name, don't you think?" He turned to address his second in command with a smile in his voice.

"MY NAME IS _HOTSHOT_! NOW LET ME GO!" the fiery youngling snarled, old memories resurfacing. The Autobots were partly to blame for his parents' deaths. He would be slagged if he were to just let them take him without a fight.

He kicked and struggled again although he was no match for the seasoned warrior's strength.

The twins remained silent, both shrinking away and instinctively seeking protection in the arms of the soldiers currently holding them. The one known as Mirage subconsciously began to massage the stressed youngling's cranial unit, immediately calming him some.

Sunny chirped and clicked in distress as he watched with frightened optics as Hotshot totally fritzed out. He had never seen the older youngling act like this before and this ferocious, near blood-thirsty side of Hotshot, scared him.

The Autobot Commander took notice of this and gestured to the twins, his voice resonating with a deep, calming influence.

"Hotshot…for the little ones sake…please calm down."

He stopped struggling in order to turn and look at the cringing Sunny and Sides, both quivering in the arms of other Autobots. When they met his optics, they buried their faces into their rescuer's chests with frightened squeaks. Hotshot's face fell when he realized that they were afraid of _him._

He turned to glare daggers at the officers and growled low.

"Put me down. I need to see Bluestreak."

"I'm afraid that is currently impossible."

"WHY?!"

"Our CMO is doing everything he can to save your friend…but he does not need any distractions right now," the second in command spoke up from where he was standing next to the leader, with both hands clasped behind his back.

Tears watered up into Hotshot's optics and his face broke into one of desperate pleading, revealing a new side of him to the rest of the world.

"Please…PLEASE…I'll do anything. Just please…let me see him? I need to know that he's okay!"

The Autobot Commander cut off his second in command just as he was about to reply and nodded his head thoughtfully.

"I see no harm in you watching from the observation deck. If you happen to cause any distraction, you will be forced to leave, understood?"

Hotshot nodded his head with thankfulness shining in his optics.

"Thank you."

Those two words were filled with spark-felt meaning. This was the first time the youngling had ever been truly thankful for anything in his life.

The charismatic leader gave him a short nod before turning back to the bridge with his second following him closely. The three Autobot warriors carried them to the appropriate area and stood guard close by, in the event they caused mischief or tried to wander off on their own.

The twins refused to leave Hotshot, too overwhelmed with so many new faces out and about that they needed to be with a familiar member of their own group. They stuck to the elder youngling's side like glue.

The three younglings watched through the observation window as the CMO and another medic worked quickly and efficiently to save Bluestreak's life. Before long, the three little ones were fast in recharge…too exhausted from the day's frightening experience to stay awake any longer.

Meanwhile, the Autobot Commander got back in touch with the Youth Sector.

"We have the younglings in our care. The youngling by the designation Bluestreak is currently in the repair bay, in the best of hands. My CMO has recently informed me that he will make a complete recovery."

"Thank you, Ultra Magnus. We are in your debt."

"My officers tell me that another meteor shower is due to hit within the next breem. Our shields are currently offline and in need of repairs. If it is alright with you…we will keep them in our charge for a couple of orns until it passes."

"I see no harm in that. Very well, we will see you then."

Starlight broke the com-link connection and looked mournfully over at Fireflare.

"I'm going to miss them…"

"Don't worry, they will be back."

She gave him a soft smile and nodded her head.

"I know."

The two caretakers knew that it was going to be a long two orns without the four rambunctious younglings to fill the Sector with mischief and trouble.

Youth Sector Alpha-Sigma…was going to be a lot quieter without them around.

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Okay, firstly…I understand that asteroids do not generally have much gravity but for sake of argument, this asteroid is huge (like the size of a small planet) so it has gravity enough for rocks to tumble down. Secondly, I know that scientifically, you can't hear sounds in space…then again this asteroid in the story has a thin atmosphere which makes sound possible. PLEASE REVIEW! ^.^


	6. Temporary Guardian

Author's Note: I apologize once again for the delay in this update. It may be another two weeks until I can get another post up, simply because this new week is last week for classes, immediately followed by exam week. Thanks for being patient with me!

_Thanks to: buddhabread, Sotwt, shimmershadow30, X-RayDog, Elita One, FunkyFish1991, and Blood Shifter2 for the wonderful reviews!! ^_^_

**Chapter 6**

The shields went up the nanosecond the Autobot Battleship lifted off into orbit, shooting around to the far side of the asteroid just as another meteor shower pelted the glowing blue energy field protecting the residents of the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector.

Starlight and Fireflare received the latest report from the Autobots. Little Bluestreak was recovering and would come online within the orn. The Autobots planned on returning the younglings back into their care as soon as the meteor-shower dissipated.

Meanwhile, back on the Battleship…

One set of baby-blue optics brightened, soon followed by another identical set as the twins awoke from their stasis nap, to discover that they were now in an unfamiliar room. There was no sign of Hotshot or Bluestreak anywhere.

"Sunny?" the red youngling squeaked, while subconsciously reaching out to him through their spark-bond.

"Where are we?" the yellow twin gazed around the room apprehensively, twittering occasionally from nervousness.

Before Sides could ask another question, the door slid open and a vaguely familiar mech entered the room. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and took a couple of steps forward as the door slid shut. The tall, red and blue armored mech regarded the little ones with kind optics.

The twins remained motionless both huddled next to each other, with wide and slightly distrustful faces. They remembered Starlight instructing them, to never talk to a strange mech they didn't know. This mech radiated strength and power. When he took another step towards them, the twins curled further into themselves, reflexively shrinking down in submission in the hopes that the much larger, possible threat, would see that they were clearly in no position to fight and would therefore deem that they were not worth the effort.

The twins shared a mutual thought—they both hoped that he would just go away and leave them alone.

He didn't.

A warm, friendly chuckle greeted the tiny youngling's audio receptors and they found themselves relaxing a notch, uncurling out of their submissive postures slowly. The mech smiled and began to speak.

"You have no need to fear."

They watched him carefully, scrutinizing his every move as if trying to detect any sign of deception.

One of the twins thought he recognized him from when they were first brought in. He was standing next to the Autobot Commander, Ultra Magnus.

"My name is Optimus Prime. I am Ultra Magnus's Lieutenant and I have been assigned as your temporary guardian until the meteor shower passes."

By the end of his introduction, both younglings were more at ease. Sunny stood up on wobbly legs and craned his head to look up at the mech, even though he was standing on a recharge berth. Before he knew it, he was lying flat on his back after losing his balance and was now staring up at the amused expression of the Autobot Lieutenant.

Optimus offered the little guy, one of his hands.

He clicked nervously and glanced over at his brother who was still sitting and staring up at the towering form of Optimus Prime in clear fascination. Sunny sat back up and looked at the proffered hand, slightly hesitant. At last, five tiny digits wrapped around one of the Autobot's fingers and he was pulled gently back up to his feet.

Sunny twiddled his thumbs and cocked his head to one side, indicating his curiosity as he resumed his staring contest with the intriguing mech. Optimus crouched down so that he and the youngling were optic to optic, his massive size dwarfing the little one.

A small smile slowly crossed the yellow twin's face and he reached one tiny hand out to touch the mech's face—one sparkling behavior he had yet to grow out of. His tiny fingers ghosted over the Cybertronian symbols etched into his temporary guardian's battle armor lining the side of his face and head. Optimus remained stationary and patiently allowed the young one to get to know him a little better. The Autobot broke the silence with his calm inducing, baritone voice.

"What is your name, youngling?"

The youngling jumped, startled and looked up into his elder's smiling face.

"Sunny," he replied in his squeaky, youngling voice while puffing his little chest out with pride.

The red twin clambered awkwardly back up and regarded the Autobot with clear distrust. He reached one small hand out to his brother's back, standing a few feet shy of actually touching him, unable to move forward another step.

"Sunny…" the red twin's youngling voice squeaked rather high due to his stress.

The yellow twin glanced over his shoulder and saw his twin reaching out for him, frozen in fear.

Sunny jerked a thumb back to indicate his brother as he looked back into the blue optics of Optimus.

"That's Sides."

The red twin shot his brother a sour face, earning full blown laughter from the Autobot Lt.

"He's my brother."

Sides pouted and crossed his arms with a huff and turned away, ignoring Sunny and Optimus. What the little red one said did not escape the audios of the elder bot, an amused chuckle escaped his vocal capacitor in response.

"I could have said my _own_ name!"

Optimus and Sunny continued to converse happily, the youngling recounting their daring adventure outside of the Alpha-Sigma Youth Sector that led up to the present moment. He was animated in his story telling by making big gestures and even added some improvised sound effects with gusto.

The red twin felt a growing sadness as his twin and their temporary care-taker ignored his presence. He tried to get their attention a couple of times but they were too absorbed in their conversation to take any notice of him. Sides felt slightly jealous that his twin had garnered the undivided attention of Optimus, leaving him out of the equation.

As his frustration grew, he lost his ability to form actual words and regressed back into sparkling speech…clicking, chirping, and twittering. After another breem of being completely ignored he could stand it no longer. He fell back on his aft with teary optics, his vents hitching in a clear sign he was going to cry. His vocal processor opened up, and with a big intake of air, his cries became clearly vocal.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!"

His optics watered like a leaky faucet, before erupting into an impressive water-works display that rivaled that of the youngling Cliffjumper. His optics were so obscured by tears that he missed the guilty and worried expressions of the other two when they realized that they had forgotten all about him.

In seconds, he was dangling in the air. He didn't notice, too hurt too care. Through his spark-bond with his twin, he felt Sunny trying to reach out to him but he pushed his brother away.

The yellow twin looked up to where his twin was now being held in the arms of the Autobot and felt tears threatening to erupt from his own optics when Sides blocked their bond, rejecting his comfort. It hurt… even more so since he could also feel his brother's pain at having been ignored for so long.

Before he knew it, he was crying too. Both of the wailing younglings startled Optimus Prime. He had been confident a second ago that he could calm down the little red twin…until he heard another voice join the first. He looked down and saw Sunny standing where he had left him, tears squeezing out of his closed optics as he threw his head back and sobbed his little spark out.

There were two of them.

Two younglings were crying now.

What was he supposed to do?!

Optimus felt panic rising in his spark as he remained motionless, wondering what in the name of Primus to do with the two little ones who were doing a number on his audio receptors. Their cries unsettled him and for the first time in a long time, the warrior felt utterly terrified.

He didn't know much about younglings, or how to care for them, so this experience was rather new to him.

One thing was for sure…he had a newfound respect for the Youth Sector's caretakers who professionally handled this very problem with ease, _every day_.

The door slid open just then to reveal Ultra Magnus much to Optimus's relief. It was like an answer to prayer…

The Commander raised an optic ridge after assessing the situation and looked back at his second in command.

"I can see that you have your hands full at the moment, so I shall send Prowl down to oversee the supply drop for the Youth Sector."

Optimus took a step forward with one hand outstretched, while the other held one of the screaming twins against his shoulder, as if that would stop the Commander from leaving the room. If that didn't, his horrified expression must have, because Ultra Magnus paused in the doorway.

"SIR…what am I supposed to do with them?"

"You are a smart mech, I'm sure you will think of something."

"How do I get them to stop crying?"

"Use your imagination," a mischievous twinkle entered his optics.

Ultra Magnus left, Optimus Prime staring at the closed door with wide, disbelieving optics. His commander just abandoned him…

Optimus released a long suffering sigh and stood thinking for a long minute, wincing as the little one continued screaming into his audio receptor. He was almost sure he felt something short circuit…

Then he got an idea. These younglings were twins… if he was able to get one to stop crying, then maybe the other might calm down too. But **how** did he go about doing that?!

At last, he did what he normally did best.

He trusted his instincts.

Optimus began to gently pat the youngling's back reassuringly and spoke softly, the little one's head resting on one of his shoulders.

"Little one, I'm very sorry that I neglected you."

Sweet Primus…it was actually working.

Sides lifted his head, watery optics meeting his own but he had stopped sobbing, although his lower lip still quivered…indicating the very real possibility that his cries could resume.

Optimus wiped some of the tears off of the red twin's face tenderly with his thumb.

"Please, forgive me."

Sunny stopped crying the instant his twin did, confirming Optimus's theory, and watched the exchange curiously.

Sides appeared as if he was going to cry again but hiccupped instead. When the youngling saw the genuine sorrow in the mech's face, he nodded his head in silent affirmation before resting his head back down on his shoulder, his vents hitching after his intense emotional episode.

A few tired clicks and chirps alerted the Autobot to the little one's exhausted condition. He moved to put him down on the recharge berth to rest but Sides clung stubbornly to him, refusing to let go. Optimus was rather amused by this and opted to hold the youngling for a while. It was rather amazing, how such a tiny, innocent creature could captivate his spark like this. He felt a growing sense of protectiveness towards the twins and vowed from that moment forth to always keep a close set of optics on them.

The soft internal hum of Optimus's internal systems, coupled with the steady pulsing of the powerful mech's spark, lulled Sides into a deep recharge. The youngling snuggled further into the warm chassis of his new guardian, feeling safer than he had in orns.

Sunny scampered over to where the Autobot was now sitting and blinked his equally tired baby-blue optics up at him. The second he had his attention, he raised both arms up in the universal 'hold me' sign. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and Optimus reached down and with one hand, scooped up the yellow one. He now had a youngling in each arm.

The little yellow youngling appeared to be fighting recharge and blinked sleepily, unwilling to give in just yet. He looked up at Optimus and whispered, so as not to disturb his sleeping twin.

"Optimus…we stay with you?"

"Of course"

"Forever?"

This innocent question caught him off guard. He answered hesitantly.

"You will return to your designated caretakers within the orn. You miss them, don't you?"

"Yes"

A small pause until the sleepy youngling had another thought.

"You stay with us?"

Why did the little one have to do this to him now? After he vowed not to get too attached…the youngling had to make this even more difficult than it already was.

"We will stay for a little while but then we must go."

This answer seemed to satisfy Sunny for the time being for his head drooped down until he was also recharging peacefully, without a care in the world.

Optimus was rather surprised to find that he would indeed, miss the twins very much once he and his crewmates left the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector. They were so…cute. The warrior mech never once imagined that he would be here now with this 'assignment'. If someone had told him three vorns ago that he would be babysitting twin younglings for an orn in the future, he would have laughed his aft off. But here he was…and he was even using the word 'cute' to describe these younglings. He'd always imagined younglings to be hyper-active, loud, pain-in-the-diodes. But these two weren't so bad…

Not yet anyway, as Optimus would come to learn in future vorns.

Pretty soon, the Autobot Lieutenant found himself drifting off into a stasis nap himself, unaware that the three were being watched.

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Ultra Magnus smiled to himself as he stood behind the hidden observation window. It was a spark warming sight, to see how well Optimus took to the little ones. The two had grown considerably since he had last seen them.

After a few more breems of watching the trio resting peacefully, he turned and marched back down the hallway with a purpose, heading for the bridge.

"Prowl, status report"

The tactician paused in the middle of a conversation he was having with the weapons specialist, Ironhide and turned to salute the Commander.

"The meteor shower has passed. The supplies were successfully transferred to the Youth Sector without incident."

"Very good…any word on the youngling still in the med bay?"

"Red Alert has informed me that he has just awoken out of stasis."

"Excellent."

Ultra Magnus turned preparing to address his communications officer when Prowl interrupted him.

"Sir, there is something else you should know."

The Commander turned an inquisitive gaze on his tactician, all audios.

"We have just received word that another Autobot battleship has just finished assembly and is being transported to the Beta quadrant for pick up."

"And what of the Decepticons in the neighboring sectors?"

"We have lost contact with Artemis II and the Nemesis has been sighted in quadrant three."

Ultra Magnus frowned. This was most troubling news. Quadrant three was only two light-years away from their current location. If the Decepticons used their interstellar warp drive at top speed, they would be here in half an orn. Of course, the Commander knew that there was no need to cause panic amongst the inhabitants of Youth Sector Alpha Sigma, unnecessarily. However, he felt it was essential that they make sure that the Youth Sector was well protected.

"Prowl, is it possible to set up a cloaking device to shield the Youth Sector?"

"Sir, it is possible. However, it will be nearly impossible to hide the energy output of the facility. A cloaking device would merely buy the residents' time to evacuate."

Ultra Magnus stood deliberating the possibilities and then came to a decision.

"I need a team to set up the cloaking device immediately. Contact the Autobots stationed at Eltaris-Major and have them transmit an encoded message to the skeleton crew aboard the new battleship. Have them transport it directly here… "

He turned away from Prowl and glanced outside of the view port while the tactician relayed his orders. He had a growing sense of dread, a feeling that the Decepticons were about to make their move. There was nothing they would enjoy more than to eradicate the weak and the helpless…the innocent civilians that stood in their way. That was already proven when they utterly decimated and pulverized the last two Youth Sectors. He turned away from the viewport and locked optics with Prowl.

"…we are running out of time."

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_Wake up little one…_

Sides heard a voice calling to him.

_Youngling…it's time to wake up._

His optics brightened as he came online and he curled further into the protective embrace he found himself in.

The red youngling recognized the owner of the voice.

"It is time for you to return to the Youth Sector."

"What?"

Sides, was a little confused. They were going back so soon?

Optimus looked a little sad as he stood up carefully with the yellow twin curled up in the Autobot's other arm, across from him. Sunny had tears in his baby-blue optics and he looked about ready to cry.

"Why do we have to go back now?"

Optimus was already taking long strides across the room and was out the door in seconds.

"The meteor shower is over and your caretakers miss you."

The twins fell silent, fidgeting every now and then in discomfort, the prospect of parting with their temporary guardian a little stressful. They were still young enough to form attachments to others they admired. Optimus Prime was no exception.

Suddenly a panicked expression crossed Sunny's features and the youngling squirmed in an effort to get down. Fortunately, the Autobot had a good grip on the little one.

"We forgot about Blue and Hotshot!"

"Easy, youngling. You will see them soon enough."

True to his word, they saw Bluestreak and Hotshot at the bottom of the ramp as they exited the ship. Optimus set them down and watched the eager younglings run towards their friends in a joyful reunion. Once Bluestreak and Hotshot recounted their own experiences aboard the Autobot vessel, the twins turned as one to look back at Optimus. They ran back and craned their heads back to look up at him and their young faces mirrored their worry.

"You'll come back again someday…right?"

"I don't know. It is possible."

Just then Ultra Magnus strode into view, catching the last part of their conversation.

"As a matter of fact, it is _very_ probable."

Optimus turned when he heard the voice of his Commander and briskly saluted with respect. He returned his Lieutenant's salute with one of his own and smiled.

By now a crowd had assembled, consisting of Prowl, Starlight, Fireflare, Bluestreak, Hotshot, the twins, Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet, Mirage, Red Alert, Hound, Wheeljack, and Jazz. A duty roster was handed to Ultra Magnus, courtesy of the tactician and he glanced down at the data-pad with interest.

"Starlight, I have much to discuss with you…" He began cautiously, his optics glancing down at the younglings as a silent hint that they were not to hear what he was about to say.

Fireflare took the hint immediately and began to usher the four younglings back into the building but Sunny had latched himself on to one of Optimus's legs, startling half a century out of the red and blue bot who looked down in surprise.

Starlight frowned at the yellow youngling's behavior but Optimus did not seem to mind much. The youngling slowly began to relax once he felt gentle fingers massaging his sensitive head. Optimus attempted to dislodge him a few minutes later.

"NO!" Sunny squeaked, his grip tightening.

"Youngling, please…"

Optimus glanced up to look at his commander who gave him a subtle nod. He looked at Sunny and bent down on his other knee. If it wasn't for the fact that Fireflare was currently holding a squirming Sides the little red twin would probably be latched on to the red and blue Autobot as well.

"I am quite sure that we will meet again, little one," he continued gently.

Sunny shook his head stubbornly, refusing to budge.

"STAY!"

Then the Autobot got an idea…

He reached down and began to tickle the little one's sensitive sides, immediately loosening his grip. Optimus was then able to pry the youngling from his shin plating and handed him back to Fireflare.

Once Sunny had recovered from his giggle fit and realized that he was no longer anywhere near Optimus…he pouted, sending a glare in the tall mech's general direction.

After the younglings and Fireflare returned inside, Ultra Magnus continued.

"The Decepticon flagship _Nemesis_, commanded by none other than Megatron himself, has been sighted in a nearby sector. We have installed a cloaking device to hide the complex, although the energy output of the facility can not be masked. We have also managed to upgrade your shielding to protect the facility from small arms fire. Since this does not guarantee your complete safety, I have opted to leave a team behind with you."

Starlight nodded her head slowly, understanding the severity of the situation.

"I understand and I am most grateful. Especially after what happened at…"

She trailed off, glancing down at the ground as a pang of sorrow assaulted her spark. Ultra Magnus, perceptive as always, nodded his head in understanding.

"You have no need to fear. If the Decepticons do try anything foolish, my soldiers will assist in the evacuation of this Youth Sector."

"Thank you, Magnus. We are forever in your debt."

He smiled warmly at her before Starlight returned into the complex to check on the younglings.

The Autobot Commander turned to look at his second in command.

"Optimus, please step forward."

He did as he was told and stood at attention.

"Optimus Prime, you are hereby foresworn as the newly appointed leader of a special contingent of Autobots whose sole purpose is to protect and defend the lives of these innocents. I believe congratulations are in order…Captain."

Those standing around him began to applaud while others cheered or whistled.

Optimus blinked a couple of times, wondering if his audio receptors were malfunctioning…perhaps those younglings had done more damage to them than he had originally thought. Did he really just get promoted?

"Thank you, Ultra Magnus. I vow to perform my duties to the best of my abilities, to uphold justice, and will do everything within my power to defend the weak and the innocent."

"Very well, Captain. I believe your ship is due to arrive within the next couple of days."

Wait…he had a _ship_?

The Commander handed him the data-pad with the duty roster.

"If you would please read this aloud"

Optimus hesitated at first but then did as he was instructed.

"Listed here are the Autobots that have been chosen with much deliberation, to follow the leadership of Optimus Prime, on the newly assembled battleship, designation: ARK"

The red and blue armored mech paused in his reading and he struggled to maintain his composure when he skimmed ahead and saw the list of names. Was Ultra Magnus glitched in the head to be giving him some of his best crewmen?

He resumed reading the list of names, their specialized departments also noted.

"Prowl—Tactician…Ratchet—CMO…Jazz—Saboteur…Ironhide—Weapons Specialist…Mirage—Espionage…and Wheeljack—Science Division."

Optimus looked up to see that the Autobots he had just called had already stepped forward upon reading their names.

"Those that do not wish to voluntarily serve under my command, please take one step back."

The six Autobots remained stationary.

Prowl looked at the newly appointed Captain with respect.

"Sir, I believe that I speak on behalf of everyone here when I say, that we are honored to serve with you."

The others nodded their heads, some smiling in silent agreement.

Ultra Magnus was rather pleased himself, half expecting at least one of them to object. He turned to address everyone present.

"Then it has been decided. Assemble your team and stockpile the supplies you will need. We will have them transferred to the ARK once it arrives. You are dismissed."

They saluted the Commander and then went their separate ways to prepare for their imminent transfer to the new ship.

A faint pin-point of light up in the starry night sky caught Optimus's attention as he prepared to walk back up the boarding ramp.

A cold, icy fear squeezed at his spark.

It could only be one of two things.

The ARK…

…_or the Decepticons_.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: The way I imagine this, the twins are still relatively sparkling size even though they have grown a little. They are considered 'younglings' now that they can speak but are still very young.

PLEASE REVIEW!! I will give you an energon cookie if you do! ^_^


	7. Danger Lurking

Author's Note: After a severe case of writer's block, brain frying exams, and slipping into a mini coma from said exams, I have returned. Sorry this is so late!!

_Thank you buddhabread, Ameri, flarey phoenix, Master of minds, X-rayDog, shimmershadow30, Blood Shifter 2, Elita One, Funky Fish 1991, and Chimeronette for reviewing!_

**Chapter 7**

"What is our ETA?"

"Approximately two joors, sir"

"Upon our arrival, deploy ground troops immediately. There are to be _no_ survivors."

The leader smiled cruelly from where he stood on the bridge, facing the forward viewport with keen interest. Fortunately for them, they had the element of surprise. The foolish Autobots were entirely unaware that they already had a team of elite fliers on the way.

"Contact the seekers…tell them to commence their attack. Once we enter the system, you will join them."

"What of the Autobots?"

The towering form of the Decepticon leader, turned to regard the underling who had spoken, his ruby red optics burned with malice and hatred. Megatron answered in a dark undertone.

"Destroy them…_**destroy them all**_."

The second bowed with a smirk, unable to keep the blood-thirsty lilt out of his voice.

"It will be my **pleasure…"**

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"Sir, it has been confirmed. Nemesis is incoming. They will be in firing range in approximately one joor."

"Send two teams down. Begin evacuating the Youth Sector. Divide them up…the Decepticons can only pursue one of our ships," Ultra Magnus commanded while sending an encoded transmission to Optimus Prime. Prime's team was currently stationed aboard the newly acquired Ark, now planet-side. He relayed his instructions for an evacuation over all available frequencies.

Many of Ultra Magnus's crew headed down in shuttles and transport crafts to assist.

"Prepare all turrets. The nanosecond the Nemesis is in range, open fire!"

"Sir…scanners have picked up ten fliers, coming in from vector twelve."

Ultra Magnus grimly viewed the monitor as one of his crewmen looked hesitantly back at him, unsure of what to do. After a brief moment of indecision, the Autobot commander gave the order in a grim, but firmly resolute voice.

"**Take them down**…"

The thin atmosphere of the asteroid crackled with raw energy and light as the turrets and gun batteries aboard the heavily armed battleship opened fire.

"Two confirmed hits, the remaining eight are inbound."

"Do NOT let them get past this ship!!"

"They are breaking off."

Ultra Magnus sighed with relief, believing it was over for now.

He should have known better.

The squadron of eight Decepticon fliers split off, four heading planet-side and the remaining four on a direct collision course with the battleship.

"STOP THEM!!

Panicked crewmen operating the laser turrets fired relentlessly after the four fliers that managed to slip past them but to no avail.

The Autobot leader sighed heavily and opened up his comlink.

::Ultra Magnus to Optimus Prime…we have a situation::

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Loud warning klaxons erupted in the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector as panicked younglings and caretakers alike flooded the hallways, bumping into each other. Some got lost in the confusion and ran around in circles until a more level-headed caretaker picked them up and ran for the emergency exits where some of the Autobots were directing them.

Fireflare and Starlight got separated momentarily before they found each other again as the mass of scared younglings and equally terrified caretakers stampeded through the vast corridors and hallways.

It only took one word to cause such chaos.

**Decepticons.**

It was all the motivation they needed to get their afts in gear.

Bluestreak and Hotshot were running through a crowded hall in an effort to find the twins who had somehow been carried off in all of the commotion. Who knew where they were now? As a matter of fact, the two young bots got swept away themselves, both snagged by two Autobots who saw them alone without a caretaker. They were taken, screaming and crying, struggling to get free when they realized that Sunny and Sides were nowhere near them.

What if they were lost on the other side of the base?

"LET US GO!!"

"SUNNY AND SIDES ARE MISSING!"

The younglings had to practically scream their vocal processors loose in order to be heard amidst the audio shattering noise of other screaming and crying younglings, shouting Autobot soldiers, and the incessant warning Klaxons.

Their Autobot rescuers merely shook their heads 'no' in response and continued to run full kilter to the nearest shuttle pod that was already preparing to close the bay doors and lift off.

Before they could scream anything else, they were safely aboard the transport. The younglings caught their last glimpse of the Youth Sector, a place that they had once called home, through an ever narrowing slit as the doors hissed firmly closed.

Hotshot and Bluestreak shared a worried look, hoping to Primus that the twins were safe.

"Maybe we will meet up with them later…" Bluestreak suggested hopefully.

Hotshot turned to the guard next to them and tugged on the Autobot's arm to get his attention.

"Where are we going?"

"To our ship, Artemis I"

"So, everyone is going there?"

The Autobot shook his head.

"Half of the Youth Sector is being evacuated to another ship."

Hotshot looked over at Bluestreak, seating himself next to him with a sigh.

"At least we know where we are going."

"Let's hope that Sunny and Sides meet us there."

The two younglings didn't want to imagine what life would be like if they were separated from the twins indefinitely.

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"Hurry, this way!"

A small red blur raced around a sharp corner, following a yellow streak down an abandoned corridor.

The little ones were unsure how they ended up on this side of the Youth Sector. A few breems ago, they were comfortably safe with Starlight and Fireflare in the recreation room before the warning sirens went off. They got lost amidst the confusion when everyone ran into the hallways, the twins had nearly been separated from each other it was so chaotic.

"Wait!"

The red twin struggled to keep up, his vents overheating from exertion after running so far.

Sunny slid to a stop when he felt his brother's anxiety through their spark bond. He turned to look at him, his face plates scrunched up into an adorable pout.

He was worried and quite anxious himself since he had no idea where everyone was or why they had been left behind.

As a matter of fact, he was quite unfamiliar with their current surroundings. They rarely, if ever visited the caretaker's section of the Youth Sector. The twins figured that if anyone could help them, it would be one of them…but they were all gone.

"What do we do now?" Sunny whispered as he edged closer to his brother.

The red twin processed the question a moment before coming up with a brilliant idea.

"Maybe we should go back the way we came…"

The two turned together in unison without another word and began to back-track their steps. They walked, still a little overheated from their previous run although their anxiety levels continued to rise the longer they were apart from the others.

"AHHHHH!!"

The twins shrieked, clinging to each other in fear as the main lighting and power failed, bathing the already eerily empty corridors in darkness with the exception of a few occasional red strobe lights marking a hallway junction.

"S-sides…I'm scared," Sunny admitted barely above a whisper, too terrified to raise his voice above the creepy silence.

At least the audio shattering noise was gone.

Wait, something wasn't quite right…

"S-sunny…"

Two pairs of baby blue optics turned to face each other and the twins both recalled a very important fact.

The emergency sirens _never_ cut out when the main power failed since the backup generator kept the Youth Sector powered. The red strobe lights were still operating well enough but the klaxons were dead, which could only mean one thing—someone had intentionally shut them off.

Then Sides saw it.

A brief shadow moved at the end of the corridor as the red strobe lights continued to relentlessly pulsate.

The red twin nudged his twin and pointed in that direction too terrified to speak.

Sunny jumped and growled low when his brother startled him. His irritation quickly melted away when ice cold fear squeezed his spark.

Something was moving towards them…lumbering slowly and shaking the very floor on which they stood.

The twins were petrified, unable to move.

They shrank down, cowering in fear as the thing drew steadily closer. Then two red points of light appeared and that's when the red youngling screamed. Sides grabbed his brother's hand and immediately pulled his twin after him as he got them moving, both younglings screaming in unison as they ran away.

Then two more shadows cut off their escape.

They had nowhere left to run.

Perhaps it was their incredible fear, the strong spark bond the twins shared, or quite possibly a deep sense of self-preservation that opened up their new link…whatever the case, the two younglings found themselves too frightened to comprehend it right away.

_Sides, what are those?!_

_I think they are Decepticons_

_How do you know?_

_They have red optics._

Just as all three shadows stepped closer, encircling them, Sunny realized that he was hearing his brother's voice… in his head.

They were speaking telepathically!

He was sure of it…because as far as he could tell, neither of them had opened their mouths to say any of this.

_Sides, can you hear me?_

_Uhh...yes?!_

The red twin looked at Sunny beside him to see that he was actually smiling.

_Do you see me talking?_

Sides did a double take, optics blinking rapidly as he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. His brother didn't say one word…and yet, he had somehow _heard_ his voice in his head.

_What in the pit?_

Sunny ignored his red twin's bad language since the three towering mechs finally revealed them-selves openly.

"Well-well…what do we have here…?"

"A couple of lost little sparklings from the looks of it"

"And they are _**all alone**_…"

"Let's have a little _**fun**_," the lead Decepticon purred as one clawed hand reached down to snag one of them.

The other two chuckled darkly and watched.

The leader growled dangerously low when the two little ones managed to dodge his seeking hands, dancing just inches away from his deadly grasp.

"_**Hold STILL you little vermin!!"**_

The twins tried to escape by running through the legs of the elder mechs but they seemed to anticipate this tactic and simply shifted to block the way. One of them had the gall to kick Sunny, sending the whimpering youngling skidding across the floor and into the awaiting claws of the leader who cackled madly in triumph as he got a good hold on the little ones scruff bar behind his neck.

"At last…you pathetic pit-spawn…you are **MINE**!"

Sides scrambled madly after his twin and beat his two little fists against the mean one's shin plating, screaming for the Decepticon to let his brother go.

"PUT HIM DOWN!!"

The leader paused in his cackling to look down at the youngling who was still screaming and smirked wickedly. In all honesty, the little one wasn't even denting his armor plating. His antics were, however, an extreme annoyance.

"Leave me alone you little _**pest!**_"

He lifted his other leg back and with one swift move, kicked the youngling with enough force to send him careening halfway down the corridor. His flight was stopped however when his small body slammed painfully into one of the other towering mechs.

Sides shut down into emergency repair stasis almost instantly.

Sunny screamed shrilly, when he both saw and felt his brother off-line and struggled against the grip of his captor, even though he knew it was futile. Tears leaked out of his optics and he managed to kick the Decepticon holding him in the face with all the force he could muster.

The leader screeched in pain and immediately released his hold on him, sending the youngling tumbling down to the floor. He squeaked in pain when something in his arm crunched but was too concerned about his brother to take much notice of his own injury. The youngling reached his fallen twin's side and gently nudged his cheek with one hand, crooning mournfully.

_Sides…wake up._

No reply.

_Sides, can you hear me?_

Silence was his only response.

With tears leaking profusely out of his optics he crouched protectively over his brother and growled back at the Decepticons, although they were too distracted to notice. The other two mechs were laughing their afts off at the one that he kicked violently in the face.

That's when the yellow youngling noticed that his screeching captor only had one optic brightly lit…the other was dark. Served him right for hurting his brother…the little one wished he was bigger so he could do far worse.

"Serves you right Starscream…you talk too much," one of the two guffawed.

"YOU INSOLENT SLAGGERS!!"

After the majority of their dark laughing fit had passed, the injured leader turned hatefully in the twin's direction and slowly approached in barely contained rage.

"_**YOU LITTLE FRAGGER!"**_

Sunny's brave act disintegrated completely and he cowered, whimpering over the still body of his brother in stark terror. The tiny youngling clicked and twittered in trepidation as he was once again yanked up into the air by his scruff bar, his small legs instinctively curled in and tucked beneath him as he dangled precariously above ground. The mean one, designation Starscream if memory served him right, spoke cruelly to him in a dark purr.

"Do you know what I'm going to do to you now youngling? I'm going to hurt you in ways that are beyond your puny little processor's comprehension."

He was brought up to optic level but held just out of reach, eliminating the chance to kick him in the face again. Sunny didn't bother hiding his fear as tears continued to leak and run down his faceplates as he shivered uncontrollably at the monster's words.

Starscream continued.

"You know youngling…there are far worse things than death…by the end of this joor, you will be **begging me for a quick termination!! **But that is not going to be YOUR fate."

Sunny followed Starscream's gaze down to where it landed on the battered frame of his brother. He clicked and twittered in newfound anxiety when he understood what the brute was referring to.

He was going to kill Sides and force him to watch.

"I'm going to **rip off **your friend's arms and legs first…one by one. And then, I'm going to slowly rip out his spark before I blast whatever's left back to the pit. You will then get to live the rest of your WRETCHED EXCUSE FOR A LIFE…with the knowledge that you were too weak and powerless to save him."

Sunny looked back into the sickeningly evil smile of the Decepticon and angrily twittered and clicked, buzzing indignantly at what he dared to suggest. No one hurt his brother and got away with it.

"**SILENCE!!"**

The little yellow youngling reeled back after Starscream back-handed his face. It stung but didn't do much damage. This only enraged him further, Sunny actually able to find the words he so desperately wanted to say.

"_**I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!"**_

He was so angry he was spitting and hissing, struggling in an attempt to break free. By this point, his bright baby blue optics, were burning a brilliant violet purple.

The energon in his pumps froze at what Starscream said next.

"You know…you might make a good Decepticon yet, youngling. _Embrace your rage_…continue to hate me, _**hate makes you strong**_!!"

All of the fight leaked out of him and he whispered softly, as fresh tears flowed anew from newly restored baby blue optics.

"_I hate you…"_

"What was that, I couldn't hear you…" Starscream smirked with satisfaction as he held the pathetic little creature up before him.

Sunny locked narrowed, defiant optics on the still functioning bright ruby red one.

He didn't say a word.

"You disappoint me. And to think that I dared suggest you had the true makings of a Decepticon."

Starscream made a hand gesture to his two fellow wing-men who immediately moved forward to retrieve the body of the red youngling.

"Now you will watch as we extinguish his spark…a spark YOU could have saved. This will be an example to you. Now you will see what becomes of all those who defy the reign of the Decepticons and choose to side with the WEAK!!"

Sunny turned away, unable to witness what he was sure was to come.

Starscream grabbed his head and turned it so he couldn't look away. The yellow twin felt his spark flutter in his chest and felt energy building up in his system. With a big intake of air, he released the loudest, most audio piercing, spark wrenching shriek the Youth Sector had ever heard.

Even though the Youth Sector was completely deserted and it seemed impossibly hopeless…the youngling wished with all his might, that someone was around to hear his desperate cry for help.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Starlight and Fireflare sighed with relief when they were reunited with Hotshot and Bluestreak.

"Thank Primus…are you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine."

They were currently aboard the titanic battleship commanded by none other than Ultra Magnus himself. Other refugees lingered about the area.

"Where are Sunny and Sides?"

Hotshot and Bluestreak shared a look and then gazed up at the two worried caretakers.

"We thought they were with you."

"They aren't here?"

Starlight shook her head in the negative.

"No, we lost them during the evacuation. We were hoping that they found you."

"Well then, if they aren't here, then they must be with Optimus and his crew. That's what one of the other Autobot's told us."

Fireflare locked optics with Starlight and wordlessly nodded before disappearing in the crowd.

"What do we do?"

Starlight sighed heavily and put one comforting hand on Bluestreak's helm.

"Hope and pray that they are alright."

Meanwhile, Fireflare finally found a superior officer who could take him to see Ultra Magnus…more or less.

"Listen, it's very urgent."

"I understand but he is currently indisposed at the moment. He will be with you in a few breems."

"There is no time!"

Fireflare shoved past him and made a run for the door. He slipped through hearing the startled and angry shouts of the Autobot behind him. The caretaker grinned in triumph when he made it across the bridge in one piece and to Ultra Magnus's side.

"Sir, I need a moment to speak with you."

The Autobot leader regarded him with open concern.

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"The twins, Sunny and Sides…no one knows where they are. I was hoping you wouldn't mind contacting the other ship to see if they have them there."

The kind leader nodded his head with a warm smile.

"Of course, I will contact them immediately."

"Thank you so much," Fireflare raced off of the bridge to tell Starlight the news.

Ultra Magnus contacted Optimus Prime immediately on an open channel.

"Are the twins there with you?"

"No sir, I was under the impression that they were aboard Artemis I."

"Has the Sector been evacuated?"

"Affirmative, the last shuttle departed a few breems ago."

"The Decepticons have not arrived yet?"

Optimus paused at the troubling question and responded slowly.

"No, sir…after receiving your transmission alerting us of their presence, our scanners lost their energy signatures."

"This does not bode well. They are most likely cloaked."

Optimus did not respond right away, already piecing together the seriousness of the situation. If the Decepticons had gone in quietly after cloaking their signatures…and the missing twins were still down there…

"I will send down a search and rescue party immediately. We **will** get them back!"

Ultra Magnus slowly nodded once to confirm his order.

"Optimus, run an internal scan of the ship's occupants one more time just to be sure."

"Yes, sir"

The transmission ended, leaving the bridge in hushed silence. The crew looked to Ultra Magnus for guidance, awaiting his orders.

"Scan our ship again and make sure that the two younglings are not just hiding somewhere."

One of the crewmates hurried to his station to do as ordered without a second's hesitation.

A warning alert sounded on the bridge and the Autobot leader turned to face the main screen.

**The Nemesis had arrived…**

TO BE CONTINUED!

A/N: Hopefully this long chapter was enjoyable. Sorry about the cliff hanger but I assure you I am already working on the next one! ^_^

PLEASE REVIEW!


	8. Rescue Mission

Author's Note:

_**Sunny**__: could you like…hurry this up please? It's seriously anticlimactic being frozen like this while Star-freak is trying to kill us… *whimper*_

_**Starscream**__: *smirks evilly* where is the fun in that youngling? I rather enjoy this predicament you are in right now…_

_**Sides**__: HEY! Don't forget about ME! I'm like half dead over here!! *grumbles*_

_**Whitedino**__: *nervous laugh* Right…so I've started my job and it's been stressful and tiresome…I am once again in the position to beg for your mercy...err...I mean ask for forgiveness for being so late in updating! _

**Chapter 8**

The Autobot battleship opened fire upon the Nemesis with powerful bursts of plasma powered energy weapons.

"Launch torpedos, keep firing…if you can break through their shields, report back to me immediately."

The Autobots wasted no time following their leader's orders and continued their barrage against the equally deadly battleship head on. Artemis I was rocked by explosions near the port side, a few of the Decepticons hitting their ship with deadly accuracy.

"Sir, shields are down to 70%."

Ultra Magnus frowned from where he stood on the bridge, viewing the raging battle from the viewport.

"Keep me updated. We just need to buy Optimus and his crew more time…"

The Autobot commander forced his optics away from the battle to look out of the starboard portal. The relatively abandoned youth sector was dark and lifeless.

_Please hurry Optimus._

He shifted his optics away and returned his full attention to the space battle, barking out orders, taking charge once again.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

"DON'T HURT HIM!!"

Sunny screamed and begged while the two decepticons picked his brother up and brought his near lifeless frame before their leader.

"Starscream, the Nemesis has arrived. What are your orders?"

"Go scout out the rest of the base and destroy any survivors you may find."

The two turned to leave but Starscream stopped them with his cold words.

"…Skywarp, Thundercracker…I expect you to do so _**without**_ mercy."

His two lackeys got themselves in a lot of trouble the last time they decimated a Youth Sector. They terminated the younglings as ordered but they did so in a highly merciful fashion. Instead of torturing them first, they had shot them cleanly through the processor, forcing them into stasis lock, so that they were unable to feel their horrendous demise as they extinguished their sparks.

They nodded their heads once and wordlessly lumbered off into the shadows, leaving Starscream alone with the two pathetic younglings. He leered down at the whimpering Sunny who was still curled in on himself as he was dangled in the air by his scruff bar.

"Any last words you would like to say to your dear brother before I extinguish his miserable little spark?"

He twittered angrily and took a swing at his face with tiny little fists, speaking in the sparkling language too emotional to use big-bot speech.

Starscream chuckled in dark amusement and lifted the prone form of the little red youngling who was still off-line.

"My, my…do we have an attitude!"

Sunny lunged for him again but wasn't able to get very far since Starscream still held him out of his reach.

"You know…I was supposed to destroy you little one…but you might make a good slave. Or better yet, a really good **pet.**"

Sunny's purple tinted optics shifted completely over to red now and he howled and hissed, no longer himself as the Con's words hit him with cruel force.

A bright green laser blast struck starscream from behind, sending him screeching to his knees.

Another laser shot him directly in the shoulder, his hidden opponents not yet revealing themselves.

"WHO DARES SHOOT ME?!!"

Sunny was no longer lost in a blood thirsty frenzy although his optics still glowed a brilliant purple. He perked up the nanosecond he heard the calming, most familiar baritone voice boom from somewhere down the hallway.

"Put the youngling down, Starscream!"

Starscream smirked wickedly and brought his gun up against the side of Sunny's head.

"Come out and show yourselves or you can say good riddance to the little fragger!"

From the shadows emerged Optimus Prime, Prowl, Jazz, and Ironhide. They surrounded him from every side with weapons trained on the Seeker.

Optimus locked optics on first the battered frame of the red youngling which then came to rest on Sunny's own violet ones.

"Optimus, help me!!"

Starscream cackled maniacally at the youngling's frightened words, his ruby red optic gleaming maliciously in the dim light of the Youth Sector.

"Take one step closer and I WILL blow the little pit spawn's head off!!"

Optimus growled ferally and narrowed bright blue optics at the fiend.

Bright, hot energon tears flowed freely down the youngling's face as he shivered uncontrollably in the ruthless clutches of his captor. Sunny never took his optics off of Optimus who was looking angrier by the minute.

"Release the youngling or we WILL open fire! You are outnumbered."

"I'll NEVER surrender to the likes of YOU!"

Optimus shook his head almost sadly.

"You have left us no other choice then."

Starscream then did something that none of them expected. He actually _threw _the red youngling at them before firing erratically while screeching for backup. Not even Prowl saw that one coming… the seeker was INSANE.

Jazz dove to catch the youngling as Starscream turned his pistol on the saboteur with mad delight as he aimed it directly at the Autobot's spark chamber.

Before the Decepticon could pull the trigger, the tactician threw a razor sharp disc, similar to a ninja star with deadly accuracy. It sliced clean through the hand that was about to fire upon his comrade.

Starscream howled in pain and screeched in fury when he lost the bright yellow youngling a nanosecond later.

Mirage appeared right next to the wounded Decepticon long enough to snatch the yellow youngling away from Starscream and then ghosted them both out of sight, most likely to take Sunny away from the battle.

Once the two younglings were far from Starscream, the Autobots exploded into action. Ironhide tackled Starscream with a furious roar, punching the Decepticon repeatedly in his already damaged face.

"THIS IS FOR THE YOUNGLINGS, YOU PIT FORSAKEN FRAGGER!!"

Starscream was no match against the titanic, black armored weapons specialist's righteous fury.

Optimus opened up a communications channel with Ratchet who was still aboard their ship.

::Ratchet, we have retrieved both younglings, one of them is in critical condition. Mirage is on his way with them now, we will join you momentarily::

::Wheeljack and I are standing by::

Blaster fire lit up the dark corridor with brilliant beams of red light as Thundercracker made his presence known.

"ALL HAIL MEGATRON!"

Jazz combat rolled out of the line of fire and covered Prowl with his energy shield while the Tactician exchanged shots with the new D-con.

Ironhide was currently beating the slag out of Starscream in a furious rage. From the looks of things…his weapons specialist didn't need any help. Although to be truthful…Optimus wanted a piece of Starscream himself after what he did to his younglings.

Wait, did he just refer to Sunny and Sides as _**his**_?

Optimus growled when a laser blast struck him from behind, he whirled around to face the new threat, his battle mask sliding neatly into place as a sword slid deftly from his right hand. He turned to face his enemy only to feel something knock him down from behind. He rolled back up and turned in the new direction prepared to defend him-self only to meet empty air.

That's when it all clicked within his processor.

Optimus dodged to the left as something fast barreled into the spot he had been in moments before.

This Decepticon was too slagging predictable. Thanks to experience, he had come to learn that this bot had a pattern.

The Autobot leader counted down mentally in his head before striking out with his sword. A faint image flickered almost as if it was still moving but couldn't now that it was firmly impaled on the end of his weapon. Skywarp groaned now completely de-cloaked and looked down to see that Optimus's sword had gone through his left shoulder. The Autobot Captain narrowed his optics at the squirming Decepticon and extracted his sword before punching Skywarp in the face, sending the seeker careening into a nearby wall head first. He slid down to the floor in a crumpled daze.

Optimus had a feeling they had wasted enough time here.

"AUTOBOTS, FALL BACK!"

Jazz and Prowl injured Thundercracker into a disgraceful retreat. They had to physically drag Ironhide off of an already off-lined Starscream who was almost unrecognizable after the beating the weapons specialist gave him.

They left the injured Decepticons and hurried back through the maze of corridors they had come through in order to get back to their docked ship.

Something shook the Youth Sector, nearly knocking the Autobots off of their feet.

"Slag…another meteor shower?"

Optimus glanced out of a nearby viewport as they ran past and grimly focused on the escape exit directly ahead of them.

"Not a meteor shower…"

"What then?"

No response.

Jazz was seriously getting freaked out now.

"PRIME?!"

"Just get to the exit…NOW!"

An explosion shattered the glass observation wing, sending a shower of transparent fragments over the fleeing Autobots.

"MOVE IT!"

Prowl and Jazz got through the exit first, followed by Ironhide as Optimus brought up the rear. The Autobot leader got through the door and turned to face the corridor they had just vacated only to see a huge explosion of fire rip through the side of the building, sending roiling orange flames right for them. He slammed and locked the exit door to seal most of the explosion off and ran up the docking ramp. The minute he was on board the ship he was already shouting for them to take off.

Optimus ran to the bridge and took his seat in the command chair as Prowl and Jazz both navigated and piloted the ship away from the destruction of the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector. The viewport gave all of them a spectacular view of the Nemesis firing a deadly maelstrom of green energy lasers, raining destruction down upon the abandoned facility.

He briefly wondered if Starscream and his minions managed to get away.

A pang of regret and sorrow washed over the Autobot Captain as he viewed the destruction as the former Youth Sector was left in charred ruins beyond repair. It was a home to a few hundred innocent lives and it had been cruelly ripped away from all of them. Where would they go now?

As if in answer to his silent ponderings, an image of Ultra Magnus appeared on-screen.

"Optimus, we have sustained damage and can no longer hold the Decepticons off."

"We have accomplished our mission. The younglings are safe in our care."

"Good, because we are unable to make a passenger transfer at this time, they are in your charge until further notice. They have knocked down our main communications array, so this frequency is not secure. Although I can't tell you where we will go, I can say that I know you will continue to fight the good fight. Our only hope is that one day we will meet again. Once we have re-established communications, we will contact you with further instructions. Until then, farewell"

"Farewell, Ultra Magnus," Optimus bowed his head respectfully as the communication link was terminated.

He watched from the viewport as Artemis I veered away from the steadily approaching Decepticon flagship before blasting away into hyperspace.

"Prowl, get us out of here…I don't care where we go."

"Yes, sir"

Within seconds, they too were blasting off into hyperspace, leaving behind the Decepticons and the destruction that they reaped.

At least they didn't get any of the younglings.

As far as he knew, there were only one or two Youth Sectors left and it would only be a matter of time before the Decepticons found them as well. They were running out of places to hide the civilians. Perhaps exploration was in order…

"Do you have any idea where we are going Prowl?"

"I have laid in a course for the Theta Quadrant in the outer rim."

He nodded his head once to affirm this choice before walking off of the bridge.

It was time to check on the little ones. He hoped to Primus that Sides was alright. Then again, why should he worry? The youngling was in the best of hands now. Ratchet was one of the best medics this side of the galaxy. Optimus knew that if anyone could save the youngling's life, it was him.

Optimus checked in with the rest of his crew before proceeding down into the med-bay. Wheeljack was constructing _something_ or another down in his new lab. Ironhide was busy shooting the pit out of training drones in the shooting range, still in a rage after their encounter with Starscream. Mirage was inspecting equipment and taking stock of inventory for the long voyage ahead of them. Jazz and Prowl of course, were still on the bridge keeping tabs on everything. Ratchet was somewhere right behind the double doors Optimus now stood in front of.

Unlike the Autobot Battleship Artemis I, this med-bay did not have an observation deck. If he wanted to see what was happening in there, he was just going to have to go right in.

After the doors closed behind him, he stood silently observing the medic working frantically to repair the damaged youngling. He was looking better already. From the looks of things, Ratchet had already managed to repair the worst of it.

"How is he?"

Ratchet responded without looking up, a slight growl in his voice that clearly revealed his irritation at having been interrupted in his work.

"Recovering…"

He didn't offer to elaborate further.

Optimus took the silent hint and remained quiet.

Sunny was recharging on another table next to his brother. His energy levels had gotten so low that he had involuntarily shut down.

Ratchet grabbed a small clamp and stopped one of the energon lines from leaking in the youngling's leg and then proceeded to solder it closed.

For the next three hours, Optimus remained in the room silently watching over the twins while Ratchet cleaned up and put his tools away.

The medic had of course seen to little Sunny's arm which had been damaged. His still highly malleable youngling armor had practically crumpled in, pinching together pain receptors and severing a few minor energon lines. Ratchet had the little one repaired in no time.

"There, they are all finished. I expect the two of them to rest for the next couple of joors. And that means no interruptions or excitement…" Ratchet growled while looking pointedly at Optimus.

"You have my word."

"If anything…and I mean **anything** should change in their condition, let me know."

"Of course"

Ratchet's stern face softened as he looked down at the two slumbering younglings.

"Even though I've disconnected their pain receptors, they could still feel pain upon awakening…especially the red one."

Optimus rested a hand on the medics shoulder.

"I will call you immediately when they do."

The CMO grunted in response and then left the med bay for some much needed recharge.

Even though Ratchet seemed like such a gruff mech, he had one of the softest sparks of the group. It was apparent in the way he acted around the two younglings. From what Optimus could gather, it had been centuries since he last interacted with ones so small.

He wondered how the rest of the crew would act around them, once the twins were up and running again. If anyone concerned him the most in regards to their safety…it had to be Ironhide. His weapons specialist was one of his best soldiers on the battlefield, no doubts about that.

He was going to have to talk with him about keeping all of his cannons and other weapons locked up where the younglings couldn't reach them. That in itself, might be challenging. Ironhide could be tougher than Ratchet at times.

It was quite comical to see both of the elder bots bickering, waging a battle of stubborn wit.

_Flashback_

"_HOLD STILL you incompetent glitch!"_

"_LET GO OF ME!!"_

"_Not until I've repaired this damage first!"_

"_What damage Hatchet?! IT'S JUST A SCRATCH!!"_

"_You call a nearly severed arm a scratch?! And I suppose a real injury is what…DEATH?!"_

"_For the last time, I'm FINE!!"_

"_No…you are **far** from **fine**, you slagging piece of scrap! FOR THE LAST TIME, **HOLD STILL** OR I WILL WELD YOUR AFT TO THIS TABLE!!"_

"_I'd LOVE to see you try!!"_

_The weapons specialist bellowed when Ratchet wacked him hard in the cranial unit with his ever beloved wrench._

_Ironhide growled ferociously and powered up the cannon that was fully functional on his undamaged arm. Ratchet snarled and with one swift, nearly imperceptible movement the CMO disabled his weapons systems. _

"_**Don't tempt me**__."_

_Ironhide glared daggers of death at the medic but Ratchet was completely unfazed and continued working, occasionally hitting Ironhide's thickly armored head with his wrench when called for. _

_End Flashback_

Optimus smiled at the memory and took a seat in between the two younglings, so that if either of them awakened, he would be right there next to them.

About two breems went by without a peep from either of them. The Autobot leader tried not to worry but the longer they remained frozen in their off-lined conditions like that, it gnawed away at his spark. At long last, one of the twins stirred, opening bright baby blue optics. His little head turned, most likely surveying his new surroundings before coming to rest on Optimus.

"You gave us all, quite a scare little one."

"Optimus? W-where are we?"

It had become a norm for either twin to refer to each other oftentimes using 'we' instead of a singular 'I'.

The nanosecond the youngling spotted his brother lying still on the berth beside him he sat up and scrambled to get down.

"SIDES!"

"Slow down, little one…your brother is recharging."

Sunny looked slightly mistrustful but decided to listen to Optimus this time around.

"Okay"

He looked down and fiddled with his hands with the lack of anything better to do and winced when a throbbing almost white hot pain made itself known in his hurt arm. He stilled immediately, a whimper escaping his vocal capacitor. Optimus immediately opened up a com-line with Ratchet and called him down to the med-bay.

Sunny looked up at his rescuer and chirruped with pain filled optics. He clicked in contentment when Optimus finally picked him up and held him close. The little yellow youngling found himself drifting back into recharge as the steady thrum of the Autobot's spark lulled him to sleep.

His peace was ruined when a new voice that sounded unfamiliar brought him back to wakefulness. He buzzed indignantly when his optics focused on the hovering face of the medic just above him.

"Your designation is Sunny, correct?"

He nodded his head slowly too tired to keep up his stubbornness for very long.

"My name is Ratchet. Tell me if this causes you any pain or discomfort."

Sunny let loose a string of buzzes, clicks, and chirrups when the CMO started to poke and prod his hurting arm. He wiggled away from the medics grasp and tried to crawl away, despite the pain it caused him.

He didn't expect the medic to be so rough the next second. Sunny had nearly escaped but screamed shrilly when he felt a large hand wrap around his leg, pulling him back.

It was kind of scary how Ratchet went from being gentle and caring to stern and harsh in less than a minute. Sunny no longer cared about the pain once the medic captured him.

"Hold STILL, youngling!"

Before he knew what he was doing, Sunny released audio shattering shrieks and cries, screaming for help as he was taken back to his traumatizing time with the Decepticon known as Starscream.

"NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE HELP ME!! OPTIMUS!"

Optimus was startled by the youngling's outburst. It nearly broke his spark, the way he was screaming for him. That was when he understood what it was that the youngling was going through.

Ratchet seemed to understand too for he immediately lost his normally gruff exterior and internally swore at himself for being so inconsiderate of the little one. He wasn't dealing with an Autobot soldier here…younglings were far different and much more sensitive.

The CMO surprised even himself when he held the youngling as if Sunny were his own, whispering soothing words and apologies for the way he acted.

"There, there now…you are safe, youngling. I would never hurt you. I want to help you get better but I need you to cooperate. Please forgive me for my harsh nature?"

Sunny peeked out from where he was nestled against the CMO's chest plating and chirruped in the affirmative before burrowing his head back into the safety of his elder's chassis. He felt safe now that he knew for certain that Ratchet wasn't going to hurt him like Starscream had.

Ratchet continued to softly pat the youngling's back plating in a soothing manner before he finally sat him back down on the table.

"This might hurt just a little but it will make the pain go away…okay?"

Sunny sniffled and turned tear filled eyes on the CMO.

Ratchet nearly lost his nerve as he gazed down at such an innocent little face and actually hesitated for the first time in three thousand years.

That was why it was so handy to have his medical programming kick in at that moment or he might not have done it.

The youngling's optics widened the nanosecond his processor registered the needle in Ratchet's hand but before he could utter a sound of protest, it was all over.

That was funny…he didn't feel a thing.

He fidgeted and tensed waiting for some sort of delayed pain reaction but still…nothing happened.

"See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

Sunny flexed his hand and experimentally shifted his arm around and when he realized he was all better, looked up at Ratchet with adoration. He surprised the CMO when he used his youngling speed to jump up and latch on to him in a hug.

Optimus watched with great amusement as Ratchet struggled to pry the youngling off of him but failed miserably as Sunny merely latched on even tighter.

"Thank you for fixing me…and my brother."

It wasn't the words of gratitude that completely froze the medic on the spot but rather, _how_ those words were said. The way Sunny had just thanked him was true spark filled gratitude. And that was gratitude that Ratchet hadn't received, let alone _heard_ in millennia.

He melted on the spot and hugged the youngling back.

With a rare smile that few ever had the privilege to actually witness, Ratchet softly replied.

"You…are so _very_ welcome."

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: 4 days until Revenge of the Fallen!! YAY! :D

Oh, I can picture this Prowl as the animated but almost everyone else as the 2007 movie.

And I think writing the twins as innocent little younglings is quite fun although it won't last for long, I assure you lol. Especially when some of their more easily influenced elders *coughOptimuscough* lets them get away with things…

PLEASE REVIEW!


	9. Nightmare

Author's Note: At long last, here is another chapter! Thank you all for being so patient with me! Wasn't TF2 simply AMAZING?!! XD

Don't worry…there will be more of Sides to come. Right now, I'm kind of focusing on Sunny since he was the one who was abused the most by Starscream. And also because I know that in some TF universes, Sunstreaker is depicted as the twin who is more like a Decepticon than an Autobot, so I wanted to explore the possibilities of how he grew to be the mech that he did.

_Thanks to: LyricaBelachium, Buddahbread, FunkyFish1991, Sotwt, Elita One, X-RayDog, shimmershadow30, and FLarey Phoenix for reviewing!! _

**Chapter 9**

_Glowing red optics peered at him from the pitch darkness._

"_I see you, youngling…you can't hide from me!"_

_Sunny screamed shrilly as he ran through the inky blackness. It was vast, stretching on forever in an endless ocean of ebony creating a frighteningly claustrophobic and suffocating feeling._

_A cruel laugh echoed behind him and he whimpered and pleaded with the unknown terror following directly on his heels._

"_Please, LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

"_You will never escape me…I'm coming for you…"_

_Sunny shrieked in stark terror when he felt a menacing, sharply clawed hand grab his shoulder from behind._

The little yellow youngling jerked awake from recharge, releasing audio shattering screams that nearly shorted out his vocal processor.

"_**HELP ME!!!"**_

Almost immediately, one of the elder mechs appeared beside him although he was shaking so hard from terror that his processor didn't comprehend much of anything since the crystal clarity of the dream was still fresh in his mind. This was Sunny's first nightmare.

"Youngling, what's wrong?"

He curled up into a ball and sobbed, unable to reply.

He was scooped up into a set of strong arms and felt the elder rocking him gently in a soothing motion.

"You are safe, little one."

At long last, his optics actually began to register who he was looking at, finally recognizing the chief medical officer, Ratchet.

He shook like a leaf caught in a violent thunderstorm. Sunny choked out the words between sobs, turning tear filled, baby blue optics up to peer into the concerned face of his current caretaker.

"_H-he…he…__**got me**__!!"_

The youngling's cries rose in fervor, not yet understanding that the nightmare was in fact a vivid subconscious recollection of his ordeal with Starscream.

He felt his tiny body curling further in on it-self as he snuggled deeper against his elder's chassis, seeking comfort and safety.

Ratchet was currently at a loss, unsure of how to comfort the frightened youngling. It had been a few vorns since he had last come into contact with ones so young. Since the fall of Cybertron at the hands of the Decepticons, it was indeed a privilege to be caring for one now.

When he had first heard Sunny's terrified shrieking, the CMO's first instinct thanks to medical programming coupled with years of habit and experience tending to wounded Autobot soldiers, nearly forced him to immediately sedate the screaming being to put him out of his misery. Then, his rational side had kicked in when he reminded himself just who he was dealing with here. These little ones were still innocent and required nurturing.

He was a medic and a good one at that.

So why was it so hard to fix _this_?

The youngling was clearly suffering mentally. The nightmare was most likely a side-effect from post traumatic stress after sustaining severe emotional, mental, and physical abuse at the hands of the Decepticon second in command.

_The pit slagging fragger can go to the pit and—_

Ratchet's mental ravings were silenced when he felt the small, quivering body, curling defensively against him. He softened as he gazed down at the youngling and shifted his hold on him, bringing the frightened being closer to his spark.

"There, there now…it's all right."

A muffled response reached his sensitive audios although the content was lost on him.

"What was that?"

The youngling pulled his face away from his chest plating and his already squeaky youngling voice rose in pitch.

"_He said he was coming for me_…"

Now Ratchet was intensely curious.

"Who…who said they were coming for you?"

"_The scary one…"_

Another shiver wracked his small frame and he buried his face into the CMO's chest again, as if to hide from the scary one he had just dared to speak of.

Just then, the med bay doors slid open and Optimus entered. He looked directly at them and walked over cautiously, not wanting to startle the already terrified youngling.

"I heard Sunny screaming. Is something wrong?"

"He had a nightmare."

Optimus nodded silently in understanding and stood there, looking a little uncertain.

Sunny perked up immediately when he heard his favorite elder's voice in the near vicinity. Joyful optics locked on to him and he squeaked with delight and lifted his arms up in his direction, a silent invitation for the larger mech to pick him up.

"Optimus!!"

Ratchet chuckled and stood up with the youngling and handed him over without complaint.

"You are quite popular these days, Prime…"

The nanosecond that Optimus had Sunny in his careful grasp, the youngling latched on fiercely and refused to let go, snuggling against his guardian already feeling a little more at ease.

"I'll leave you two alone…"

Ratchet turned to leave but directed a silent look at Optimus that clearly said "we need to talk as soon as you are finished".

Optimus nodded his head, acknowledging the wordless message.

The CMO wandered off, most likely to monitor the still recovering Sides who was still in a deep recharge. It was amazing that he hadn't felt, let alone _heard_ his twin brother's terrified screams. Then again…in hindsight, Ratchet remembered administering a powerful sedative to ease the young one's discomfort.

Ah. That explained it then.

He busied himself by cleaning and organizing his workstation.

Sunny stared at the prone form of his twin brother from across the room, feeling a strong longing to be with him.

"Shouldn't you be recharging?"

Sunny turned wide optics up to the slightly amused face of Optimus. He shrank down and shook his head 'no'.

"And why is that?"

The deep, rumbling voice was filled with tenderness.

"Can't…too scared."

Optimus sat down on the unoccupied recharge berth and cocked his head inquisitively.

"What has frightened you so?"

Sunny's lower lip quivered as tears threatened to leak from fearful optics.

The youngling recounted his nightmare, hiccupping and squeaking throughout the retelling as a fresh wave of fear coursed through his systems, squeezing his small spark in an icy grip.

"I see…"

Optimus replied thoughtfully at last.

As the charismatic leader listened avidly to the little one, he couldn't help but feel a strong sense of protectiveness towards Sunny and intense anger towards Starscream. Next time…his weapons specialist was not going to be the only one to dish out the damage to the cowardly fragger.

It took a lot most times, to make the usually calm and self-controlled Autobot leader lose his temper. What Starscream did to the little ones, was a crime that would have been punishable by deactivation if they still lived in the Golden Age of Cybertron. What the Decepticons were doing to wipe out entire generations of their species, brought to Optimus a righteous and unbridled fury that no intelligent being with half a processor would dare to cross. Not even Ironhide, the seemingly fearless trigger happy lugnut that he was, dared to go anywhere near Prime on the battlefield when he was lost within such a justifiable rage.

And that was saying a lot…

Before his thoughts could become too violent or aggressive, the little one squirmed. Optimus was pulled from his silent musings and back down to the distressed youngling as his anxiety levels became clearly tangible. Sunny shifted in his arms, getting into a more comfortable position against his chest. His tiny head rested directly over his spark chamber.

Sunny didn't really care if he was currently being held like a sparkling…it was rather nice.

His right audio was buzzing with the tell-tale thrumming sound of the powerful Autobot leader's spark-beat. Slowly, his panic and mind numbing fears gradually melted away.

When he felt Optimus move slightly his fear returned. He clicked and chirped in panic believing that the elder was about to leave him.

"Don't leave me!!"

"I'm not going anywhere."

He calmed down, releasing a heavy sigh from his vents in clear relief.

Optimus was now lying down on the recharge berth with the youngling still curled against his chest, reminding the elder of a little cyber-kitten.

Sunny yawned sleepily as the continuous thrumming of Optimus's spark continued to soothe him. Tiny digits curled around large fingers as if to reassure him-self that Optimus was in fact still there and not leaving him. He had another two joors of recharge time to go until his vital systems regained optimum efficiency levels…but the frightening prospect of going back to such a dark and frightening place kept him fighting off the tempting allure of sleep. The youngling glanced up to see that Optimus had his optics shuttered closed. He was resting.

"Optimus…I don't want to recharge…"

Bright blue optics re-opened and focused on him.

"I'll protect you."

Sunny looked doubtful and glanced down.

"You promise?"

"I promise. Now recharge, little one."

Satisfied with the answer, he settled back down and rested his head against the familiar spark-beat. As he drifted back off to sleep, clicking tiredly, his tiny digits remained wrapped firmly around the thick fingers of his guardian. A large hand came to rest comfortingly across his back in a reassuring blanket. The extra warmth on his back plating gave his tired systems a gentle push into the dark recesses of recharge.

Soon, his tired optics drooped shut and Sunny remembered no more.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

3 joors Later…

Everything was dark and something felt highly uncomfortable.

As he felt his processor rebooting, the uncomfortable feeling soon turned into _pain._

It was very hard to ignore and a whimper escaped his lips that sounded foreign to his own audio receptors.

Baby blue optics brightened as they re-opened to the waking world.

A yellow blur hovered somewhere above him. As his optics refocused, the fuzzy image cleared until he saw a near identical face peering intently at him with a happy smile.

"Sides, you're awake! I was soooo worried…I thought you were gonna die, but Ratchet and Optimus said you were just recharging and—," Sunny spoke far too fast for him to understand but stopped when he saw the confused expression that his brother was sending him.

"What?"

Sunny rolled his optics as Ratchet appeared beside the recharge berth, running scans on the red youngling while the excited twin repeated himself a little more slowly so that his brother could actually understand him.

Sides' mouth formed a silent 'oh' when the words actually registered the second time around.

He whimpered when the medic touched one of his still healing injuries and tried to squirm out of reach.

Ratchet frowned and retracted his prodding hand.

"You have suffered some internal injury that your systems are still repairing. You need to recharge a little longer, youngling."

"Aww…does he have to?" Sunny's squeaky voice whined while hovering protectively over his twin with a pout.

Ratchet's frown deepened until he was almost glaring.

"**Yes**. Unless you want your brother to remain in constant pain"

Sunny's optics widened and he turned to look at Sides.

"Is it bad?"

Sides weakly nodded his head with a grimace and whimpered again when that small action made one of the pain receptors in his neck flare up.

"Hurts a lot"

Sunny tenderly reached for his brother's hand and held it in his own, lending his twin some of his strength.

"I want you to get better."

"And he _won't_ get better unless he **recharges**…" Ratchet's voice was stern but his expression was softer.

Sunny made a sour face and nodded his head in understanding, although it was easy to tell that this did not make the little one happy.

Ratchet made sure that the red youngling was comfortable and kept a careful optic on him as Sides initiated subroutines to shut back down into a natural recharge cycle. Once he was peacefully resting again, the CMO ushered a grumbling Sunny out the door.

"You are in need of refueling…Jazz will be coming by to pick you up in about a breem or two. Stay _here_ until he arrives," Ratchet emphasized severely while pointing at the floor with an index finger.

Sunny crossed his arms and pouted.

"I want Optimus."

"Optimus is busy right now. You will do as you are told, or face severe consequences."

Ratchet left the yellow youngling standing in the hallway right outside of his med-bay with a severe look that promised future punishment if Sunny so much as _thought_ about disobeying his order.

Sunny turned his head away sharply with a huff and focused on the wall across from where he was standing, feeling bent out of shape at being told what to do.

"_Behave_ youngling."

He gave Ratchet the silent treatment, his already grumpy mood turning that much darker as the CMO's final words inspired a sense of rebellion within his young spark. Although, he did feel a little lonely once the med bay doors swooshed shut, leaving him abandoned in the deserted corridor.

He sat down against the wall near the doors and drew different designs in the pristine floor with one finger. His elbow rested on one leg while his other hand propped his head up in a clear sign of boredom.

Sunny checked his internal chronometer and frowned when he saw that the Autobot that was supposed to be coming to pick him up, was running _two breems late._ The youngling growled in frustration and stood up, his patience finally lost.

There was no way he was just going to sit here, waiting forever for a mech who probably didn't know that he even existed!

"Not staying here!" his youngling voice squeaked rather loudly, betraying his insubordinate intentions by echoing in the long expanse of empty space surrounding him.

He shrank down and winced as he whirled around to stare at the door with wide, frightened optics, half expecting to see Ratchet come storming out in angry retaliation at his bold declaration. He stood frozen for the longest time, straining his audios in an effort to catch any tell-tale signs that the CMO was coming. He leaned against the metallic surface, a little surprised when he heard no sign that the medic was even still alive behind the thick doors. He released a big sigh through his vents when silence continued to answer him.

He glanced in both directions and finally opted to go to the left and pumped his little legs as fast as they could go. Sunny paused when he reached an intersection at that end of the hall and frowned, uncertain of which direction to take this time. He prepared to turn right, but hesitated when instinctually, he had a feeling that told him to continue to the left again.

The youngling took about three steps in that direction and froze when the heavy, echoing footfalls of one of the mechs reached his audios. If they caught him, they would surely take him back to Ratchet…and the medic's promise of punishment for leaving his designated spot in the hall surfaced to the forefront of his processor.

He panicked and looked for a place to hide, only to see that the only way he could conceal himself, was if he melted into one of the walls lining the corridor. Sunny frowned when he looked down to see that his bright yellow plating was hardly camouflage material…so the wall blending idea wasn't going to work.

There was always the option of running back the way he came, to wait impatiently in isolated boredom outside of Ratchet's repair ward, utterly abandoned and forgotten. That wasn't a very appealing option either.

A thrill raced through his systems when the footfalls became far more audible. Whoever was coming would be within optic range at any given second.

The youngling finally made his choice and ran in the opposite direction that the mech was coming from, down the hallway to his right against his better judgment.

Soon, the footsteps faded from audible hearing range and he sighed with relief as he sagged down against a wall.

**BOOM!!**

"AHHH!"

Sunny shot to his feet when he heard an explosion from further down the corridor. Of course, he knew it was probably unwise to find the source of such a disturbance, but the youngling's curiosity was far too great to be denied.

It was as if his feet had a mind of their own as they began to carry him closer to the startled shouts and curses that erupted from a nearby door. A green light on the panel next to it indicated that the door was unlocked. Sunny approached cautiously and stood about a foot away from it, a little frightened to proceed.

Once again, curiosity ate away at his processor until his rebellious feet moved him forward, activating the automatic door trigger. It slid open, revealing a horrendous mess in what looked like a lab of some sort. Broken containers, liquids of different colors and viscosities littered the floor and dark, roiling smoke was pouring from a damaged device of some kind. A mech he was not too familiar with was stepping gingerly over the damage, trying to salvage what pieces he could while mumbling and sometimes shouting profanities to the seemingly empty room, not yet noticing that he had a very young visitor observing him.

"Slagging piece of garbage…I knew I should have crossed the red wire with the green…"

Sunny cocked his head curiously as he continued to observe the mech's rather strange behavior as he continued talking to himself.

"And what is _this _doing in the central heating valve?!"

The mech held a jagged glass fragment between two fingers, examining it above his head as the smoke finally cleared. The piece of broken glass gleamed as it reflected from the light panels located in the ceiling.

"What a pit forsaken…"

Sunny's head tilted to the other side with the unfamiliar use of language, briefly recalling some of the elder younglings at the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector using some of those terms.

He knew that they were bad words since he remembered Starlight and Fireflare telling him and his brother not to use words like that once. But this had to be the first time that he had heard so many strung together in one sentence…

The youngling was entranced by the Autobot's colorful vocabulary and blinked innocently, trying to comprehend what it all meant.

"Glitched fragger almost short circuited the main power grid."

The mech tossed the broken glass fragment aside and reached down to pick up a bundle of frayed wires. The strange mech picked it up within one hand and froze when his optics caught sight of him. The Autobot startled, and immediately looked guilty at having been caught, still crouched down in an awkward pose like a youngling caught with his hands in the goody jar.

"Oops…"

The mech straightened up, still looking sheepish as he scratched the back of his cranial unit in clear embarrassment.

When Optimus found out that he had used such foul language in front of the youngling…he was as good as slagged.

"Why, hello there…"

Sunny watched with distrustful optics as the mech quickly approached with one hand outstretched as if to snatch him up too.

Sunny shrieked shrilly and turned and fled, running as fast as he could down the hallway, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and the crazy one. He finally stopped, his vents heaving to cool his internal systems down as he once again slid tiredly against another wall in a corridor he had yet to explore. The strange one wasn't following him…good.

The youngling continued his adventure, now hopelessly lost until he found a room that had no sliding door. It was dark inside but automatic lighting thrummed on once he entered, most likely by motion detectors. He walked through and stared in awe at the large weapons racks that lined the room and shrank down when he had the instinctual feeling that he was most definitely NOT supposed to be in here. The little one was about to turn and make a hasty run for it when he caught sight of another door in the back.

His internal voice of reason inside of his mind told him to forget about exploring unless he wanted to get into even _more_ trouble then he already knew he was in…but once again, curiosity reared its ugly head. He hesitated, lost in an internal battle between the two opposing forces that were common sense and curiosity. At last, the choice was made for him when he heard approaching footsteps, coming from the hallway heading directly for the room he was currently in.

Sunny made a mad dash for the back door and sighed with relief when it opened into yet another darkened room. The nanosecond the door behind him slid shut, blocking out the light from the weapons room, his night vision activated. As he wandered further in, he saw a bunch of holographic projections of fighting mechs that appeared to be frozen…as if someone had simply paused a recording in order to return and finish it later.

He squeaked when the door opened and a large mech lumbered in, cannons twirling into place eagerly. A low, rumbling chuckle that sounded almost threatening filled the room as the new one stopped a few yards away from his position. Sunny crouched low, unmoving in the corner, far from the holographic projections in the hopes that he would not be seen.

"Resume exercise," a gruff voice growled out.

The projections sprang to life as the voice command was confirmed by an automated computer and the new mech combat rolled, dodging one of the holo-mechs lunges. He brought up his cannons and with a deafening roar, unleashed a volley of plasma fire that went through the holographic threats. With each holographic image he blasted, they fizzled out of view, leaving thirteen out of the original twenty.

Sunny had his hands clamped tightly over his sensitive audios and he screamed shrilly at the aggressive display of violence as he watched the mech kill the holographic projections with extreme pleasure. His screams went unheard as the noise of the holo-battle and the Autobot's blazing cannons filled the room with near deafening chaos.

"**DIE DECEPTICON FRAGGER!!"**

Bright, hot energon tears ran unheeded down his faceplates as Sunny's optics remained glued to the viciously brutal scene before him.

Until at last, the youngling made a break for the door. He got within a few feet of it, before something massive knocked into him. Sunny was sent sliding across the floor and came to rest in the very middle of the room. He whimpered and curled into a ball as the holographic images continued to shoot imaginary projectiles at both him and the large being a few feet away.

"What in the fraggin' pit was that?!"

A few moments later and the youngling heard the gruff voice bark out an order.

"Terminate simulation!!"

Sunny peered cautiously out just as the lights thrummed back on in the room and his optics locked briefly on that of a very large, gruff looking black mech with impressive looking cannons mounted on each arm. He squeaked and hid within the crook of his arm, shivering violently from fear, wondering if the terrifying behemoth was going to shoot him.

The soft words that were spoken next were filled with deep regret and even worry.

"Sweet Primus…what have I done…"

When Sunny glanced back up, he was staring into a set of troubled looking, azure optics.

He screamed and scurried away into the shaded corner behind him, shaking with fright.

"I'm not going to harm you, little one. Please…come here."

The voice, although rough, sounded incredibly genuine and for a moment he almost fell for it…until he remembered how ruthless this bot was when he displayed his fierceness. What was to keep him from doing the same to him?

When the large mech tried to approach him Sunny sobbed and scrambled to get away, only to remember that he was already backed into a corner. It broke the elder mech's spark, to see such an innocent creature looking at him like that.

The cannon toting mech sighed deeply and activated his comlink system, keeping remorseful optics locked on the quivering form of the little yellow youngling. His voice betrayed his emotion as he softly spoke, the gruffness melting away into that of genuine caring.

"Optimus…we have a problem."

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: I know, a brutal way to end the chapter, I'm sorry! But I seriously didn't want to end the chapter by simply cutting it off in the middle, so I'm already typing up the next one! Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW!!


	10. Consequences

Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews!! Tomorrow I'm catching two planes from WI all the way to Oregon on the West Coast to visit family. Darn connecting flight...maybe I'll end up hitching a ride with Jetfire in disguise ;)

**Chapter 10**

Optimus was awoken from a light recharge by his internal comlink system. He connected when he recognized the familiar com-line frequency.

"What is it Ironhide?"

"_Optimus…we have a problem."_

He sat upright at this news. The only problem he could really think of would be an engine malfunction but he knew that was not the case. It was only when he heard what sounded like crying in the background did he figure it out.

"I'll be right there, Prime out."

The communications link was terminated and Ironhide remained a good distance away from the sobbing youngling as Sunny kept terror filled optics locked on him.

What Ironhide really wanted to do was scold the youngling for being in the room in the first place. When the battle hardened mech thought about it, he could have seriously injured or even _killed_ the little one, for Primus' sake! It was when Ironhide gazed down at the innocent little creature that he knew within his spark that he could not bear to say one harsh word to him. The youngling had been through enough already.

"Youngling, I'm sorry for frightening you…I didn't even know you were in here. Please, stop crying…"

All attempts at comforting the little one, failed. So the weapons specialist remained absolutely quiet, opting to watch the little yellow bundle of wires as he sobbed his spark out instead. It was a rather unnerving thing to witness, actually. Ironhide had seen many cruel and unusual things in war. He had seen bots, both enemy and comrade alike have their sparks ripped out of their chests and extinguished right before his very optics. Ironhide, who was fearless in combat, had even seen a comrade get utterly mutilated to death by a mob of D-cons when their position was over-run in Iacon that still haunted his dreams to this day…but **this** had to top them all…

_This_ was absolutely, _**terrifying**_.

Sunny's optics had closed although tears still poured from his optics like a leaky faucet. Ironhide winced when the youngling's vocal processor opened up to new decibel shattering levels.

"AHHHH-HAHAAA!!!"

Primus…that youngling was loud!

Ironhide cringed and took another three steps back, now on the opposite end of the room.

Just when he was about to go on the fritz from impatience, the doors to the holo-deck training room slid open to admit the towering leader of the Autobots.

Optimus strode in with a purpose and stopped short upon seeing Sunny, curled defensively in a corner.

Ironhide knew he was in trouble. The look that Prime flashed his way, said as much.

The red and blue armored mech approached the youngling cautiously, with an upturned palm.

"Come here, little one."

Sunny's lower lip quivered and the terror drained from his optics until his posture slackened into one of fatigue. Optimus retrieved him and held him close, doing his best to soothe him.

Now far too tired from his frightening ordeal and escapade the little one clicked and snuggled against his elder in relief, now safe again. Before he knew it, he slipped into a deep recharge, completely oblivious to the very heated argument that was now taking place.

Optimus turned narrowed optics on Ironhide, while he shifted his hold on the youngling into a more protective embrace.

"_Ironhide_, what in the name of Primus, did you do?!"

"It's not my fault, Optimus!! I came in here and swear that the youngling wasn't in sight or I would have stopped!!"

Optimus calmed down and redirected his gaze upon the slumbering youngling in his arms, Sunny's little legs tucked in, looking very much like a sparkling again as he snuggled against his chest.

"I know you meant no harm, Ironhide. _But_—"

Ironhide paid very close attention when his leader emphasized that last word.

"—we must make sure that this never happens again. As of right now, effective immediately, all personnel are to youngling-proof this ship."

"Yes, sir"

Ironhide straightened up at the order although he still looked worn and utterly beaten when his optics looked back at Sunny.

"Sir, permission to speak freely"

Optimus raised an optic ridge curiously, wondering just why his weapons specialist would make such a request.

"Permission granted."

"I would like to take full responsibility for the youngling…"

Ironhide rushed on the nanosecond he recognized immediate refusal arising on Optimus's face.

"…as his guardian, at least on the days when your duties demand your full attention"

The weapons specialist could see this as his chance for redemption and waited with baited breath to see what his leader would say.

"Alright…you may be Sunny's guardian when I am unable to see to his well being myself."

He knew this would be pushing it, but he just had to try...

"And sir…I also request permission to train the youngling once he is old enough."

The look on Prime's face was priceless. Ironhide recorded his expression and saved it to his photo archive within his processor. He may have been a hardened war veteran but he knew a good opportunity when he saw one. Which is why he had been video recording this entire conversation to share with the little one once he was old enough to receive downloads from others. It was quite a memorable moment to say the least.

At last, he heard the answer he had been waiting for.

"Very well…but he will only begin training when both the CMO and I agree that he is ready to advance."

"Thank you, Sir"

Ironhide was thrilled. It would of course take a while for the youngling to get to know him…much less look at him once he recovered from this. But he hoped that with time, the little one known as Sunny would come to see him in a different light.

There were only few that knew Ironhide's true personality. He was gruff and just as tough to boot on the outside. But inside…he was about as soft as a lightly roasted marsh-mellow. Of course the last glitch-head to have said that nearly got his aft blown off by an 'accidental' plasma discharge from one of his cannons. He had a reputation to maintain after all.

To be honest, he had always been intrigued by younglings…had even wanted one when he and his spark-mate Chromia still resided together on Cybertron. The war destroyed any chance of that ever happening.

Now he was going to be given this golden opportunity to look after one. So long as the little fragger didn't blow his audio receptors out again…

"This little one needs to return to the med bay. Ratchet needs to exam him and make sure that all is well."

Ironhide nodded silently and followed Optimus, the firing range completely forgotten as his worry for the youngling filled his already troubled thoughts.

Soon they were entering the med-bay.

Ratchet heard them come in and immediately turned to greet them.

"What can I do for you?"

Optimus turned to Ironhide and gave him 'the look'. If anyone knew Optimus for as long as Ironhide did…then they knew that 'the look' generally told them to 'get the slag on with it and take the consequences like a mech'.

Ironhide shuffled forward looking nervous…a little too nervous in Ratchet's opinion.

Ratchet fixed a very suspicious gaze on him, already sensing that this had something to do with the recharging youngling in Prime's arms.

Ironhide began to recount one of the biggest mistakes of his life and with each passing second, he felt as if he was digging himself into the pit. It was strange he noted how he hadn't seen one adverse reaction out of the doc just yet.

The medic seemed to be taking the story rather well, for he just stood there, staring at him completely expressionless the entire time. When Ironhide finished explaining what happened with the youngling and the firing range, he tensed and took a step back expecting Ratchet to beat the slag out of him with a hammer.

Ratchet hadn't moved. As a matter of fact, he hadn't even twitched since he first started talking. He was standing there, almost blankly as if he'd zoned off. Ironhide snapped his fingers in front of the medic's face to try and get a reaction. When that didn't work he took a few steps back and turned his head to look at Optimus, only to see that his leader had retreated out the door with BOTH younglings. Now he realized why Ratchet was unfocused as the reality of his cruel fate slowly sank in.

_Oh sweet Primus…_

And that was when Ratchet exploded to life, grabbing the nearest wrench he could find and hurled it without mercy at his cranial unit, with all the force he could muster while screaming at the top of his voice capacitor.

"**YOU STUPID SLAGGER**!! _DO YOU REALIZE_ _WHAT YOU HAVE_ _DONE?_!!"

Huh…Ironhide wasn't sure who was the loudest…psycho Hatchet or the screaming youngling.

Ironhide cringed and retreated to the other side of the med-bay only to realize that he was now hopelessly trapped, with nowhere left to go. He had managed to dodge Hatchet's first throw but now with less maneuverability with the enraged CMO quickly closing the distance between them, he had a feeling that this was not going to end well for him..._**at all**_.

"Hatchet…calm down! I already apologized for—"

TING!!

His optics flickered as a wrench connected with his head from seemingly nowhere, immediately silencing him.

"DO NOT tell **me** to _calm down_, you _**pit-forsaken slag heap**_!!"

Ironhide dove out of the way as Ratchet lunged for him again, this time with a much heavier hammer and that was when the weapons specialist actually felt pure, unadulterated _**fear**_.

"YOU COULD HAVE _**KILLED**_ THE YOUNGLING, YOU _**GLITCH-HEAD**_!!"

BANG!

"OW, **stop hitting me**!!"

Ironhide shouted as he struggled to get away to no avail.

DING!!

"Stop being such a femme and TAKE IT LIKE A MECH, you _**slagging coward**_!!" Ratchet barked as he continued his merciless assault.

THUNK!

THWACK!!

There was one rule that everyone knew to follow…the one rule that could save your very life. _Never_ make the CMO angry. For an angry medic could tear you to pieces and then take a few centuries to put you back together. It all depended on his mood or whether or not he had any mercy the day you did manage to slag him off.

Ironhide stumbled and nearly fell but Ratchet was quicker and caught him. He shouldn't have allowed himself to relax just then because that was when his already dented cranial unit was attacked again by yet another wrench.

"Where in the pit, do you find all of those slaggin' wrenches?!"

In answer to his very bewildered question, Ratchet held up another wrench that he had swiped off of a nearby counter and held it up threateningly. Ironhide snarled and prepared to knock the wrench away.

DINK!!

Ironhide fell to the floor in an unceremonious heap. That one had nearly off-lined him. Still disoriented and expecting more punishment he roared furiously, sounding quite intimidating.

"STOP IT HATCHET!! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR SLAG!!"

Ironhide was finally fed up with it and looked up into the very amused face of Ratchet who was twirling his retrieved wrench between his fingers. His expression turned stern the moment that the heavily armored mech was standing again.

"Be thankful that the little one is physically unharmed…"

Ironhide seemed to sag in clear defeat, looking even more miserable than before Optimus had left the room.

What the medic said froze the energon in his systems.

"**Only** physically"

A long suffering sigh escaped the CMO before he turned concerned optics on him, no longer angry.

"Ironhide, the little one witnessed something that his processor is not yet mature enough to comprehend…"

Ratchet waited patiently while Ironhide's poorly abused head tried to process that one.

"You mean…"

"It is a possibility, yes. When a youngling witnesses or experiences something very traumatic, it can alter their personality or give them other processor problems. The Autobot Blurr, is known to be one such example."

Ironhide's entire demeanor shifted then and did something that he hadn't done in many ages. Fluid accumulated in his optics and he both looked and sounded desperate.

"Ratchet, is there anything you can do to fix this?"

"I'm not sure. The youngling may find a way to cope with this event himself. Although it is still unclear how this will affect him long term"

Ironhide felt strong emotion that ate away at his spark and hardly noticed the fluid leaking from his optics as he felt himself falling apart.

"Please Ratchet…I'm begging you…you can fix this!"

Ratchet sighed heavily and brought one hand up to his head, as if he had a headache.

"That's the thing, Ironhide. I don't think that I can. A youngling's processor is still developing and it's a very delicate and fragile thing. I'm sorry."

The weapons specialist felt pit slagging terrible at this news. At that moment, his emotions got the best of him and he did the unthinkable.

His rough voice was soft as he looked at Ratchet with brokenness at the revelation of the mental damage he may have inadvertently caused Sunny.

"Hit me Ratchet."

It was a most peculiar request and one that the medic would have gladly jumped at a few minutes ago. This was rather odd behavior for the trigger happy lunatic.

"I beg your pardon?"

"_You heard me_…**take your slagging wrench** and HIT ME!! It's the least I deserve…"

Ratchet was at a loss. All he could do was stand there and try to process if he had really heard correctly. Perhaps it was time for a tune-up himself…

Before he could stop him, Ironhide had grabbed a wrench from the workbench next to him and began to repeatedly bang himself in the head with it.

"STOP THAT, you _malfunctioning __**glitch**_!!"

To say that it seriously startled the CMO would be an understatement. It was rare that a Cybertronian of Ironhide's caliber would suddenly go ballistic like this and impose self-harm so willfully. Ratchet leapt into action and tackled him, managing to knock the wrench away before taking his own that was still firmly clenched in his own hand and slammed it into the base of his neck, sending Ironhide down into a forced stasis.

"Serves you right…you crazy fool…" Ratchet mumbled as he hauled Ironhide onto a recharge berth and left him there, _strapped down_ since there was no knowing if he was still a danger to himself. He hooked him up to various monitors and ran multiple scans and diagnostics on Ironhide's processor and other systems, just in case.

He shook his head, still grumbling to himself about crazy glitch heads and stupid slaggers when his med-bay doors opened again.

Optimus entered with the younglings who were both wide awake now and they beamed happily at him. Ratchet smiled fondly at the twins and then remembered something rather peculiar.

"Sunny…has Jazz given you your energon yet?"

The yellow twin shook his head 'no' and looked away, clearly guilty.

Ratchet looked up at Optimus for an explanation.

"He went exploring, it would seem…hence the problem with Ironhide."

The medic frowned deeply at the youngling.

"You disobeyed my direct orders, youngling. I told you to wait until Jazz came to retrieve you."

Sunny shrank down and clicked nervously in response, clearly aware of the trouble he was in.

"Look at me."

The warning sound in the CMO's voice made him look back at Ratchet's stern, disapproving gaze.

"You have already learned the consequences of your actions, little one. Do not disobey your elders again."

"What of the red youngling, Ratchet?"

"Sides has been given a clean bill of health. He is fully functional again…you may leave."

And with that, the medic turned away to clean up his med-bay.

Optimus turned and left with both younglings in his arms. They both remained absolutely still, both twins looking intently at the other.

Sides looked up at Optimus's face and squeaked.

"Somethin's wrong with Sunny…"

"I know," Optimus refused to reveal more.

Sides pouted when Sunny blocked his attempts at telepathic communication and crossed his arms in frustration.

"Sunny, tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

Sunny squirmed uncomfortably under his twin's scrutinizing stare.

"Can't remember"

Optimus froze in his tracks and looked down at the yellow youngling.

"You mean to tell me, that you do not recall what has occurred today?"

The youngling's face scrunched up as he struggled to remember what it was he knew he should remember.

"No…can't remember."

Something did surface to mind just then however.

"Found strange one…said bad words."

Optimus was walking back to the med bay.

"A strange one? Who was it?"

"No name…he had broken stuff all over the floor."

Recognition hit Optimus's face just then and he smiled.

"You must have met our resident scientist, Wheeljack."

Sides and Sunny shared a look that spoke volumes of their interest in this crazy person who now had a very intriguing name. They re-entered the med-bay much to Ratchet's annoyance who thought that he had five minutes of peace at last.

"What do you want this time?"

"Ratchet, Sunny can't remember his encounter with Ironhide."

"Hmm…his processor is functioning normally from my preliminary scans. This may actually be for the best. Sometimes, a youngling can block out traumatic memories that may be recovered in future years when they are older. It is to be expected, from one so young…"

Ratchet glanced from Sunny to a still unconscious Ironhide, looking thoughtful.

"Ironhide will be happy to hear such news. As for now, I think it best to drop the subject. Under no circumstances are you to speak of the event or else you may trigger the memory to surface."

"I understand, thank you."

With that said, Optimus once again left the med-bay, hoping and praying that he wouldn't have to return there again that orn.

His internal comlink was beeping again and he sighed heavily before answering it.

It was Jazz.

"Sorry bout bein' so late ta the party Optimus…I had to help Prowl with a navigation error."

"That's fine. Meet us on deck three."

"Roger that, boss!"

They met in the middle of deck three in which Optimus introduced the twins to Jazz. The spunky, smooth talking bot relieved any fears they might have had about meeting him for the first time the second he started speaking to them.

"Sup, lil' dudes? Name's Jazz…and I'm gonna be da' one ta watch'a for a while."

Optimus set them down and gave them both an encouraging nudge towards Jazz, their newest caretaker. They looked back at Optimus almost mournfully, a little hesitant to leave him behind.

"Be good little ones. Listen to Jazz while I'm gone, understood?"

They nodded their youngling helms in unison before turning as one to look up at Jazz. This bot wasn't as intimidating since he wasn't quite as tall as the others that they had already encountered.

Sunny smiled as Jazz reached down to hi-five him before leading the twins into a recreation room, a little similar to the one they had seen back at the Youth Sector.

"Wanna' watch a holovid with me?"

Sides nodded his head and raised his hand in excitement while jumping up and down.

"I wanna' pick it!!"

Jazz laughed and gestured for him to come over and select one.

Sunny came over also and frowned at his brother's selected choice.

"No…not that one. We saw that one lots of times before. Pick this one!"

"I wanna' watch this one, Jazz said I could pick!"

Jazz looked between the two twins who were getting a little more heated amongst themselves and finally stepped in to break it up.

"Easy now, lil' ones…I don't see why we can't watch them both!"

That settled it then.

Jazz selected the chosen movie for them to watch on the holo-vid and the three sat on the couch together, one twin on each side of Jazz since they both looked about ready to fight again.

This was the first time that the twins had ever truly disagreed on anything before, making both twins feel a little sad at the realization. It seemed that ever since they had been taken from the Youth Sector by the Autobots after their brutal encounter with Starscream…they had drifted apart. It was almost as if they were simply brothers and not twins. Sides hoped that all of that would change someday and that he could be close to Sunny again. He needed him. Before long, the movie had all of them laughing and all depressing thoughts were long forgotten.

Once that movie was finished, Jazz walked over and activated the second one before settling back in his seat. Before he knew what had happened, the Autobot had drifted off into recharge. Normally he would be better about this but he had pulled a double shift without adequate rest prior to watching the younglings. Soon enough, about halfway through the movie the twins found their heads nodding off as well.

Until at last, they found themselves deep in recharge, both younglings nestled snugly against the slumbering form of Jazz in a perfect picture of peace.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: I know that the ending was rather corny...but I was seriously pressed for time since i need to finish packing for my trip. PLEASE REVIEW!! Thanks so much for reading!


	11. Over The Edge

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while since the last update. The trip to the west coast was good and now I'm home. This chapter is a bit darker and has more angst in it but I swear to you, that the twins will soon begin their prank career! The next chapter should be a lot lighter. ;)

**Chapter 11**

"Sunny…wake up!"

The yellow twin rolled over on his other side and tried to ignore the pestering voice that kept bothering him.

"Wake up!!"

Two small hands roughly shook him, until the yellow youngling had no choice but to return to the world of the waking.

"What?" he grumbled as he stretched stiff servos. He turned an irritated look at his twin and blinked blurry optics in an effort to refocus them after a long recharge.

"Come on, let's go."

"Go where?"

Sunny glanced around to see that Jazz, their caretaker was still snoring softly on the couch and that the holovid was long over. His brother was the first to awaken, obviously…

Sides turned pleading baby blue optics on his brother until Sunny gave in.

"Only for a few minutes…" the red youngling promised him.

"We have to come right back here or Jazz will get mad at us," Sunny added with narrowed optics.

Sides scurried for the door and impatiently waited for his twin to follow.

The twins raced down the corridors, feeling a little more awake now that they were free to do whatever they pleased (within reason of course).

"There's nothing to do that's fun," Sides whispered as they neared one of the observation decks.

"I know…" Sunny sounded bored and looked highly uninterested in exploring the ship.

Sides gently turned Sunny around to face him and looked his brother in the eyes.

"Sunny, something is wrong with you."

The yellow twin wiggled himself free of his brother's grasp and continued walking, choosing to ignore Sides entirely.

_/Please, brother…let me help you/_

Sunny halted in his tracks. He had forgotten all about their bond and their ability to communicate telepathically.

The youngling sighed and shook his head and looked back at his concerned brother with sorrow filled optics.

/_Not this time, Sides. I don't want you to get hurt/_

_/Sunny, please…/_

"Maybe someday…" the yellow youngling whispered, mournfully.

At that moment, Sides looked at his brother and could see a difference. It was as if Sunny was years older…like his twin had matured years ahead of him and deep down, it hurt to see that his brother was leaving him behind.

"Don't leave me…"

Sunny cocked his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You're different Sunny…we aren't the same as we used to be."

Sunny couldn't help but feel guilty at the anguished look that Sides was sending him. He wanted Sides to understand that he was trying to protect him. His twin did not have to see or experience the uglier side of life…and the yellow twin wanted to keep it that way, for as long as possible.

In a way, Sunny was jealous of his brother. Just the fact that Sides had been unconscious through the whole Decepticon ordeal, made him angry. Why did HE have to suffer and his twin didn't? It wasn't fair…but at the same time, Sunny loved his brother and didn't want to see him get hurt.

"I know…but I'm still your brother."

Sides appeared to be studying him and then smiled.

"I'm glad, Sunny."

Sunny stiffened reflexively when he felt his brother connecting to him through their spark bond. At first, Sunny tried to resist the instinctive pull of the bond but in the end, he succumbed to it entirely. This was his brother…and being close to him as he could be, was the only way that he could protect him.

The twins for the first time since the day of the Alpha Sigma Youth Sector evacuation felt their bond begin to strengthen, bringing their sparks closer together.

Sunny actually allowed himself to relax when his twin stepped forward to wrap him in a comforting embrace. It was strange, how something as simple as a hug from his brother, could make him feel so much better. Through their bond, the yellow youngling could sense that this was all Sides knew to do for him—and Sunny was grateful.

/Thank you/

/We have to stick together/

Sunny pulled away and gave Sides a genuine smile.

/Always/

Just as the two younglings prepared to run off down the right corridor, a deep voice startled the twins and two identical sets of baby blue optics locked on to the scowling face of a strict looking bot…one that neither of them had the privilege of meeting up until now.

"What are you two doing, roaming the halls unsupervised?"

"Who are you?"

Sides questioned out of sheer curiosity, earning a frown from the elder.

"My name is Prowl, Optimus Prime's tactician. Now please, answer _my _question."

Sunny nudged his brother with a foot and opened their link.

/This guy looks kind of mean/

/Why is he glaring at us like that…/

Sides mentally responded as he shrank away from the intimidating figure of Prowl with a small grimace.

/Because he's mean/

Sunny honestly didn't know how else to put it. He did look pretty grouchy…and the look in his optics held within their depths suggested great intelligence—and great potential to be a total stickler to the rules. Which of course summed the tactician up in one simple word—BORING.

Prowl placed two hands on either sides of his hip joints and leaned towards them with a menacing glare that demanded the younglings to reply right _**now.**_

"Well?"

Sunny took a step forward, placing himself in front of his brother and matched Prowl's frown with one of his own.

"We **are** being supervised."

"Really," Prowl responded dryly.

The Autobot elder glanced both ways as if expecting someone to show up. When he returned his attention back to the younglings, his expression screamed volumes of his displeasure.

"Then why don't I see your assigned caretaker with you?"

"He's sleeping," Sunny flatly replied, not at all impressed with this elder bot.

Prowl's frown became downright scary after hearing that one and actually made Sunny squeak and take a step back.

"He's _**what?!"**_

"Anyway, it was nice to meet you Prowl!"

Sides grabbed his brother's arm and the two fled, running away from a stunned Autobot tactician. Prowl yelled something behind them but the twins were too focused on escaping that they didn't bother to pay him any attention.

"Is he following us?"

"I don't think so…"

"I hope that Jazz doesn't get in trouble," Sides whispered nervously as he glanced behind them, half expecting Prowl to come screaming around the corner.

"Let's go find him and make sure that doesn't happen," Sunny suggested.

Before long, the twins found their way back to the rec room where they had left a recharging Jazz on the couch.

"Uh oh"

The room was empty…Jazz was gone.

"Now what do we do?"

As if in response to Sunny's question, the ship's intercom activated and the calming baritone voice of Optimus Prime filled the room and the hallways outside.

"_If two younglings aboard this ship can hear me, I need you to report in on the com system, please."_

The twins shared a surprised look.

"Wonder what he wants us for?"

"Maybe Prowl got mad that we ran away and told on us."

"Let's find out"

Sunny reached up and touched the button on the com system and saw a little red light appear.

"Now what"

Sunny jumped when he heard his own voice echo through the sound system aboard the ship. Sides laughed at his twin but stopped when his voice echoed back as well. His brother smirked at him before turning to face the com system.

"Hello? Uhh…Optimus…this is Sunny."

"And Sides!" the red youngling piped up from beside his brother.

The red light disappeared and Optimus's voice returned.

"_Very good…I need you both to remain where you are."_

The twins both looked at each other with mixed expressions that ranged from wonderment to complete rebelliousness that clearly said "we should just leave". Before they could run for the door, Prowl appeared.

"Please follow me…Optimus would like to speak with you both."

The younglings had no choice but to follow strict-bot. He led them through a maze of corridors and hallways, some of which seemed vaguely familiar to Sunny, until at long last they arrived in front of a sliding door. As a matter of fact…this entire hallway was filled with identical such doors.

It slid open to reveal the towering form of Optimus Prime. The twins had to crane their heads to look up.

"Thank you Prowl for escorting them here"

The stern tactician nodded once in acknowledgment before continuing on his way to the bridge to return to his duties.

Optimus looked down to see two apprehensive little faces peering nervously up at him. Sunny looked down at the floor while Sides fidgeted next to him, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the intense gaze of the Autobot Captain.

"Please come in"

The twins obeyed, without question or argument. They entered what appeared to be living quarters. Optimus sat down on the Cybertronian equivalent of a couch and appeared to relax, no longer intimidating.

Sides and Sunny remained together as they explored the living quarters, just to appease their youngling curiosity. They soon returned to the near vicinity of Optimus, neither aware that their every move had been carefully scrutinized by a pair of wise, yet amused cerulean blue optics.

Sides, was the first to speak this time on behalf of both himself and his twin.

"Are…are we in trouble?"

Optimus shook with laughter at the innocent question. Once he composed himself, he replied with mirth still evident in his vocal processor.

"You two gave Jazz quite a scare."

"So we **are** in trouble," Sunny sighed heavily and his shoulders sagged a bit dramatically, earning another chuckle from Prime.

"No. You are not in trouble this time. I would like you both to inform your caretaker or guardian of your whereabouts before you leave so unexpectedly next time."

The twins nodded their heads in understanding. Sides smiled and relaxed a notch, now that he knew they weren't in trouble.

Sunny stepped forward and placed a hand on Optimus's shin, just below his knee plating since he had yet to grow into his first set of youngling armor. He couldn't help but pout when his voice squeaked…reminding him that no matter how mature his mind may be, his body was still far younger. Nevertheless, he continued speaking in what many past caretakers described as his "adorable youngling voice".

"Optimus?"

"Yes, little one?"

Sunny had to hold back a growl at being called "little"…even though he knew it was true.

"Why is Prowl so mean?"

"Was he unkind to you, younging?" Optimus's face turned serious and a protective edge seeped into his voice.

Sunny shrugged and glanced away, unwilling to answer.

Sides stepped forward then and answered for his brother.

"He acts scary…and he makes mean faces at us."

Sides lifted his arms up, so that Optimus could pick him up. The elder did so and placed the red youngling on his knee and held a hand down to invite Sunny to join them but the little one refused with the shake of his head.

Sides got Optimus's attention again by placing a small hand on the side of his face.

Once Prime was looking at him he asked the biggest question that had plagued the twins since their first encounter with the strict one.

"Why is he so…so…BORING?"

Optimus fell victim to yet another laughing fit. Younglings were amazing little creatures. They were so innocent, naïve, and completely honest. Only Sunny had been robbed of some of that. The sobering thought, made Optimus clench a fist in response to internalized anger at the Decepticons for their destructive and spark-less nature. When he spoke, his voice was steady and failed to betray any emotion he was really feeling.

"Prowl is a mech of great thought and does not express his emotion as openly as others. Once you get to know each other, he will lighten up…hopefully."

Optimus set the little one back down so that he could stand next to his brother. He leaned closer to them, all serious once again.

"I have summoned you both for a different purpose."

Neither youngling said a word although they cocked their heads in mild curiosity.

"You will both be assigned different guardians in order to further your educations and to look after you when I am unable to care for you myself."

He was not prepared for the cacophony of loud squeaks and yells of angry protest that greeted his audios as both twins assaulted him with furious complaint.

Optimus reached down and rubbed the sensitive areas on their heads, quieting them almost instantly as the calming technique took effect.

"One at a time, please."

Sunny spoke first, anger written on his adorable little face.

"We can't be separated! My brother **needs **me…because I have to protect him!!"

The red twin responded next although his expression spoke volumes of his anguish at the prospect of being separated from his brother.

"We have to stick together Optimus! Please…please don't make us."

Optimus sighed as he listened to their pleas and then responded carefully.

"Little ones…it is too great a challenge for any of my crew to look after you both at once. They do not have as much experience with younglings as your former caretakers at Alpha Sigma. Until they learn a bit more as far as your well being is concerned, you two will have to be temporarily separated."

Sides began to cry at this, unashamedly in front of both his twin and Optimus. It felt like his spark was breaking…the very idea of being separated from Sunny after just recently being reunited with him hurt.

The Autobot leader felt his spark flutter at the sight of the sobbing youngling. If that wasn't enough to break his spark, the very fact that Sunny snarled and ran at him with rage in an attempt to strike him with tiny fists sure was.

"**You can't do this! I WON'T LET YOU!!"**

Optimus was deeply disturbed by the little one's rather uncharacteristic and violent behavior. He lifted him up by the scruff bar and held him carefully as he continued to kick and punch at the air.

Optimus spoke with Ratchet on an internal com-link.

_:Ratchet, are you receiving this?::_

_::Yes, Prime. I am already on my way::_

Optimus tried every trick he knew in the book to calm the little one down but nothing was working. He felt the energon in his systems running cold when he saw a drastic change in the precious youngling he had practically called his own.

To Optimus's relief, Ratchet came running through the door at that moment. The CMO was already running scans on the youngling the nano-second he locked optics on him.

Once the youngling spotted the medic he turned his angry screams on him.

"**YOU CAN'T SEPARATE US! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU ALL!"**

Sunny's optics were turning a shade of violet, the more enraged he became—the very characteristics of a Decepticon. Only a Decepticon's optics turned red…and Sunny was nearly to the brink of switching over completely.

"Prime, hold him still!"

The CMO transformed his hand into a gadget of some sort, aimed it at the struggling youngling and fired.

A wave of blue light struck Sunny, who shut down into stasis immediately, going completely limp in Optimus's grasp.

"What did you do to him?"

"A concentrated EMP burst. He was on the brink of a systems over-ride. This little one needs to return with me so I can keep better watch on him."

Sides, was screaming now as tears continued to run down his face. Optimus picked him up and massaged his sensitive head until the little one had calmed, releasing an occasional click or a chirp. He was too drained to respond and his dimmed link with his twin soon forced him into a recharge.

"Ratchet…will Sunny be alright?"

The CMO turned to look at Optimus with a concerned look and frowned.

"In my professional opinion…I'd have to say **no**. The kid has gone to the pit and back. He just nearly re-programmed his own processor to that of a Decepticon, for Primus's sake!!"

"Will he return to normal when he awakens?"

Optimus gently handed over the unconscious body of the yellow youngling, albeit reluctantly.

Ratchet took him and cradled Sunny carefully in one arm.

"In my experience and with what knowledge I have in this case, one of three things will happen. One, the youngling awakens and goes virtually insane, unable to cope with the drastic changes to his processor. Two, the youngling does revert completely to Decepticon programming."

Ratchet began to walk out the door but stopped at the next question.

"And three?"

Optimus dreaded the answer.

Ratchet looked back at him, now completely expressionless.

"He loses his memory completely."

Optimus watched the CMO walk out the door and sat heavily on the couch in a stunned stupor. He couldn't believe this. Not this…not Sunny.

The great leader of the Autobots, the one who rarely expressed emotion for the sake of his troops, couldn't hold back the tidal wave of raw emotion at bay any longer. In the solitude and privacy of his quarters, Optimus Prime held his head in his hands…and wept.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: OMG…I seriously started crying after writing the end of this chapter you guys. And if you absolutely hate me for such angst go ahead. Cause to be honest, I'm not too happy with myself for writing what happened to Sunny either. Of course, that is what this story has been evolving into…how Sunstreaker developed his near decepticon personality. That wasn't what I had originally intended for the story but let's face it…a story is usually boring unless it has some type of conflict in it. And this is it, I guess.

Don't worry, nothing TERRIBLE will happen to our dear Sunny, because I love him too much for that! Look at his adorable little face!

_Sunny: *growls* I heard that._

_Whitedino: But you are! *hugs him like a teddy bear*_

_Sunny: *chokes* You're crushing me!_

Please Review and let me know how you think and/or feel about this installment. Thank you for reading! I will work on the next chapter very soon!


	12. The Ties That Bind

Author's Note: Okay so a little more angst happens here but there is fluff and lightness at the end. No more angst will happen for the remainder of the story (I don't think). As far as I know, this was it. Enjoy and please review!!

_Thanks to: shimmershadow30, FunkyFish1991, LyricaBelachium, Crossfire1205, Elita One, and Blood Shifter 2 for such great reviews!! _

**Chapter 12**

Ratchet was worried.

Two orns…it has been _two_ orns.

The ARK had entered the orbit of a dead planet in the Theta Quadrant only a couple of joors ago.

Ever since he had zapped the yellow twin with the EMP blast, his brother had yet to awaken from recharge. He wasn't responding to anything.

"I just don't understand this. It's as if, they are no longer separate individuals but one being."

"Spark bonds can be a powerful thing, as we all know."

"Yes, but the really intriguing part…is that these twins share a spark…a rarity in itself."

"So what does that mean for these two?"

A long suffering sigh filled the expanse of space that was the med-bay.

"Because Sunny has suffered so adversely and his twin has not…I have reason to believe that Sides is somehow now the link."

"The link to what…"

"Look at it this way…one twin is more Decepticon and the other is more Autobot. It is near impossible for spark twins to be separated like this since it puts a tremendous strain on their sparks, which would explain why they have been in stasis for so long."

"I think I understand now…in order to bring the twins back together and to mend the ties which have been stretched too thin, they are re-building a bridge between each other in order to compensate for the damage which has occurred."

"Precisely"

Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Optimus Prime stood around the still forms of both twins who were currently lying on a recharge berth together in the med-bay, completely oblivious to the conversation that just took place.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

_Sides, wasn't sure where he was or how he had gotten here…but he could sense that his brother was nearby. _

"_Hello? Sunny…can you hear me?"_

_No reply._

_Sides kept walking through debris filled corridors. The red youngling soon recognized where he was—the abandoned Alpha Sigma Youth Sector. _

_He soon broke into a run when he heard the sounds of a battle raging as blaster fire erupted nearby. Explosions shook the ground and sparks rained down from damaged ceiling panels and here and there small fires consumed bits of wreckage that blocked some hallways off. The red twin felt panicked and knew he had to find his brother and get him out of this terrible place._

"_SUNNY!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"_

_Tears streamed down the youngling's face as he felt fear gripping his spark. The battle was raging closer and he had yet to find his twin._

_He followed their dim spark bond that led him away from all the noise and to the other side of the base where it was dark and far too quiet._

_At long last, he found him…but the sight that greeted his optics frightened him._

_He saw his brother and __**himself**__ trying to evade the seeking claws of Starscream. Sides screamed when he saw one of the three Decepticons kick Sunny into the outstretched hands of Starscream, who swept his struggling twin up into the air by the back of his scruff bar. _

"_At last…you pathetic pit-spawn…you are __**MINE**__!"_

_The red youngling watched from the sidelines as he saw the terrible experience of their encounter with the Decepticons unfolding before his optics. _

_Sides saw his other self, scramble madly after his twin and watched the other Sides beat his two little fists against the mean one's shin plating, screaming for the Decepticon to let his brother go. This was so weird to watch...especially since he knew what was coming next._

"_Leave me alone you little __**pest!**__"_

_Sides watched as Starscream lifted his other leg back and with one swift move, kicked his other self with enough force to send him careening halfway down the corridor. His flight was stopped however when his small body slammed painfully into one of the other towering mechs. _

_Sides winced as he witnessed HIMSELF, shut down into emergency repair stasis almost instantly. He averted his optics to look back at Sunny._

_The yellow twin didn't even appear to register his presence. It was like he was invisible or something. Sides wanted so desperately to call out to his brother, to let him know that he was okay and wasn't harmed but the towering figure of the Decepticon that held his brother in his wicked clutches frightened him into regretful silence._

_The red youngling watched the rest of the scene unfold with shocked optics. He watched as Sunny screamed at his unconscious form lying on the floor, broken and on the brink of death. Sides watched with intense pleasure as his yellow twin kicked Star-freak in the face…until it came to the worst part of Sunny's memory. As much as Sides wanted to look away, just the fact that he was watching something he had missed the first time had his attention glued to the terrible scene._

"_Do you know what I'm going to do to you now youngling? I'm going to hurt you in ways that are beyond your puny little processor's comprehension."_

_Starscream continued._

"_You know youngling…there are far worse things than death…by the end of this joor, you will be __**begging me for a quick termination!! **__But that is not going to be YOUR fate."_

_Sides watched Sunny follow Starscream's gaze down to where it landed on the battered frame of his other self. He clicked and twittered in newfound anxiety when he understood what the brute was referring to. _

_He was going to kill the other version of him and force Sunny to watch._

"_I'm going to __**rip off **__your friend's arms and legs first…one by one. And then, I'm going to slowly rip out his spark before I blast whatever's left back to the pit. You will then get to live the rest of your WRETCHED EXCUSE FOR A LIFE…with the knowledge that you were too weak and powerless to save him."_

_Sides screamed from the sidelines as he witnessed Starscream back-hand his brother's face. The red youngling sucked in a breath when he noticed a shift in his brother…_

_So this is where it all began. This is when his brother became different and so angry._

_Sides cringed when his brother screamed very loudly at the Decepticon._

"_**I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!"**_

_His brother was so angry he was spitting and hissing, struggling in an attempt to break free. By this point, his bright baby blue optics, were burning a brilliant violet purple._

_Sides walked forward when he saw this…his brother's optics were changing into scary ones. _

"_Sunny?"_

_Side's voice quivered and came out in a high squeak. _

_For some reason, his brother still couldn't hear him. Sides felt helpless as he witnessed his brother have a complete meltdown. The red youngling couldn't help but feel guilty that he hadn't been there for his brother through all of this, his optics landing on the battered frame of his other self._

_The energon in his pumps froze at what Starscream said next._

"_You know…you might make a good Decepticon yet, youngling. __**Embrace your rage**__…continue to hate me, __**hate makes you strong**__!!"_

_All of the fight leaked out of Sunny and he whispered softly, as fresh tears flowed anew from newly restored baby blue optics. Sides was close enough that he could actually hear him from that distance._

"_I hate you…"_

"_What was that, I couldn't hear you…" Starscream smirked with satisfaction as he held the pathetic little creature up before him._

_Starscream made a hand gesture to his two fellow wing-men who immediately moved forward to retrieve the body of the red youngling. _

"_Now you will watch as we extinguish his spark…a spark YOU could have saved. This will be an example to you. Now you will see what becomes of all those who defy the reign of the Decepticons and choose to side with the WEAK!!"_

_Sunny turned away, unable to witness what he was sure was to come. _

_Starscream grabbed his head and turned it so he couldn't look away. _

_Sides, was crying now…it was so…so HORRIBLE. So this is what his brother refused to share with him, the answer to all the riddles and questions. He couldn't blame his twin…he would probably be feeling just as much rage, if not more at what Starscream was about to force his brother to witness. It was true, that the twins were not only loyal to each other but extremely over-protective as well. No one hurt his brother and got away with it! _

_Sides had to bring his hands up to cover his audios when his brother released the loudest, most audio piercing, spark wrenching shriek he had ever heard in his young life._

_Soon, the red twin found himself screaming as well as a torrent of emotions leaked through their bond to him._

**Pain. Rage. Anguish. HATE. Love for his brother. Helplessness. **

_Sides shook his head and looked up at the towering Decepticon that still held his brother high above him and snarled at what the mean one said to Sunny next._

"_You know…I was supposed to destroy you little one…but you might make a good slave. Or better yet, a really good __**pet.**__"_

_Sunny's purple tinted optics shifted completely over to red now and he howled and hissed, no longer himself as the Con's words hit him with cruel force._

_Then something in the atmosphere changed…Sides could tell. What was happening? _

_The original colors and design of the Youth Sector were completely altered. The hallways were now composed of darker colors and jagged plating. The red twin briefly wondered if this is what Decepticon headquarters would look like before focusing his attention on his brother again, with a shiver racing down his back plating._

_He had an instinctual feeling that this is not what had originally happened the first time._

_Starscream purred in the youngling's audio, ceasing his struggling. The words were not lost on Sides, whose face immediately contorted into one of shocked horror._

"_**Join the Decepticons youngling…it's the only way to save your brother."**_

_Sides ran forward and screamed shrilly, opening their bond up with pain and fear._

"_NO SUNNY!! DON'T JOIN HIM!"_

_Sunny turned his head to look down at him with a pair of blood red optics._

_The yellow youngling stared blankly at him, with no hint of recognition. The youngling craned his head to look up at Starscream who was smirking now. The Decepticon set the youngling down on the floor and knelt next to the yellow one and in a silky voice, continued to brainwash his twin._

"_**Hate makes you strong, little one. Only your strength can save your brother."**_

_Sides had tears running down his face now as he cautiously approached Sunny with an outstretched palm._

"_Sunny, don't listen to him!!"_

_Starscream continued with an evil smirk. _

"_**You will have the power to protect your brother for eternity…if you join us."**_

"_Sunny…I'm your brother…please don't"_

_A hint of recognition appeared in the crimson optics of his twin. _

"_**Make your choice"**_

_The yellow youngling turned crimson optics from the seeker to his brother and back again, unsure, of what to do. _

"_You swear that my brother will always be safe?"_

"_**I guarantee it."**_

_Sunny looked at his brother with deep regret and whispered._

"_It's the only way I can keep you safe, Sides. I have to."_

"_NO!! SUNNY!!"_

_Sunny directed his crimson optics to look up at Starscream and faintly nodded._

"_Okay…I'll join you…only to save my brother."_

_The Decepticon then reached down and with one clawed finger, tapped the little one's helm lightly with an evil grin directed at Sides._

_The yellow youngling screamed and brought his hands to his head as pain lanced through his processor. It felt as if someone was shredding his cranial unit with hot knives. _

"_S-sides…h-help…me!"_

_The red youngling ran forward to see if he could help his brother but slid to a halt about three feet away when Sunny looked up at him with an expression filled with rage. Hatred was in his optics and he growled at him._

"_All Autobots…must be destroyed!"_

"_NO! I'M YOUR BROTHER!!" _

_Decepticon programming was beginning to activate and all that the yellow youngling could see in front of him…was a weak, pathetic Autobot youngling who had to be terminated immediately._

_Sunny ran at him with an almost animalistic shriek, taking Sides completely by surprise. Sides didn't have time to brace himself and felt the heavy weight of his brother tackle him to the floor. They rolled a couple of times from the force of the impact but Sunny soon pinned him down and began to punch him. _

_Sides cried and struggled to get free and screamed at his psychotic twin._

"_SUNNY STOP!! YOU'RE HURTING ME!!"_

_The yellow youngling ignored him and continued his assault on his helpless prey, with triumph in his Decepticon colored optics._

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Ratchet swore when the red youngling began to convulse and scream on the table.

"Slag…we're losing one of them…"

"What's happening to him Ratchet?!" Optimus was about to fritz out of his processor with panic and worry.

"His spark is fading…"

The CMO swiftly deactivated the little one's motor control system and injected a highly energized solution that would hopefully prevent his spark from extinguishing for a little while longer until he could figure out what to do.

"It seems that Sunny is dominating…"

"Dominating how?"

Ratchet turned a troubled look on Prime. Optimus's optics widened in realization.

"You mean to tell me that, Sunny is _killing_ his brother?"

"From what my scans are telling me, their bond is already beginning to sever which would indicate that yes…Sunny is pushing his twin away."

"Can't we DO something?!" Optimus angrily demanded, with helpless desperation.

"We can only hope that Sides can find a way to bring him back. From what I understand, Decepticon programming is very hard to break once it's begun to encode within his processor. I'm afraid that the outcome of this…is up to them."

Optimus knelt down and held the tiny hand of the red twin.

"Don't give up little one…you can do it," the leader whispered encouragingly. He received a small twitch in response, almost as if the little one had actually heard him.

"_Come back to us."_

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

_Sides felt his spark breaking and his optics went wide when he felt their bond beginning to snap. _

_With a last act of desperation, the red youngling threw his head back and screamed with every last ounce of energy that he could muster._

"_SUNNY DON'T LEAVE ME!!!! I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU! YOU'RE MY BROTHER!!"_

_As if a switch had been flipped, Sunny stopped pounding his brother into the floor and his optics flickered from red to purple. He shook his head as if to clear his vision and lowered his raised fist when recognition crossed his face. _

"_S-sides…is that really you?"_

"_Sunny…" the red youngling sobbed._

_The yellow twin fell to his knees when he realized what he had just done and one of his hands clutched his chest in pain as he felt their weak bond on the very edge of breaking. _

"_I'm so sorry…"_

_Sides noticed that the scenery around them was slowly fading out of existence. _

_The yellow twin's optics flickered from purple to blue as he struggled to return to himself._

"_I hurt you…" Sunny looked down at his hands and shook his head in denial. _

"_I hurt you…" he repeated again, his voice was broken and filled with deep anguish. _

_The most sorrow he had ever felt in his life constricted his spark until he felt that it would break. _

_Sides sat up and clasped his brother's hands within his own, also aware of the pain his brother was feeling through the thin bond they still shared. _

"_Sunny…you're my brother and I love you."_

_Sides pulled his brother closer and held him in a comforting embrace as his twin broke down in tears at the realization of what he had done. He thought that if he turned Decepticon…he could protect his brother from ever getting hurt…but in the end, HE was the one who hurt him! _

"_I'm so…so sorry, Sides. I love you too."_

_As the two youngling twins embraced, all of the emotions they felt…the greatest of which was love triggered a reaction within their sparks. _

_The two gasped and pulled apart as a bright light emanating from both of their spark chambers began to fill the dark gloom around them. They felt the frayed strings becoming tightly woven as their bond healed and doubled in strength. Sunny looked up to see the smiling face of his twin, his optics now a baby blue that matched his brother's._

"_You really scared me."_

"_I know…I'm sorry" Sunny averted his optics to the floor, ashamed and angry with himself for not just scaring his brother but for actually hurting him. _

_Sides reached out and gently lifted his brother's chin so that his twin was staring him in the face._

"_You didn't leave me…"_

_Sunny half smiled although his eyes were dim and filled with grief._

"_I promised you that I wouldn't."_

"_Brother…that's all that matters. You were so close…so close…" _

_Sides brought a hand up to cover his chest above his spark chamber as a twinge of pain raced through him at the realization of how close he had really been to losing his brother forever. Their bond had nearly snapped…and if it did…_

"_Don't think about it. I'm back now. And I'm here to stay," a bright smile lit up Sunny's face as he brought a hand up to his brother's cheek in a comforting manner._

"_No…__**we **__are back."_

_Sides matched his twin's smile and they stood up, standing beside each other. They could sense that something was about to happen. Sunny sought out his brother's hand and Sides clasped it warmly._

_A bright light intensified until they both felt fuzzy and disoriented. It felt that for a second, their sparks had become one again and all sense of place and time was lost._

_Sunny and Sides didn't care, all that mattered was that they were finally together again._

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Both twins groaned as their systems began to reboot out of stasis.

Two identical pairs of baby blue optics opened to see two worried faces hovering above them both.

Sunny cocked a head with a confused expression when he saw Ratchet's lips moving but heard no sound. No wait…he was starting to hear something although it was faint and slightly garbled.

"—alright…slow—ystems…-booting…"

Sides was suffering the same effects his brother was only his optics were locked onto the relieved expression of Optimus Prime who was also trying to speak to him.

"—so relieved…you came—ack…to me…"

Finally their systems had finished rebooting and their audios were fully restored.

Sides and Sunny turned their heads to look at each in surprise when they realized that they were actually holding hands. One of Sunny's optics started twitching and Sides' face turned red from embarrassment and they let each other go. It was all fine and dandy to be all mushy and have some brotherly love in private but to display all that in public…in front of the Doc and Optimus just wasn't cool.

Sunny sat up and looked around to see that they were in the med-bay. He looked over to see that Optimus had directed his gaze on him. The yellow twin bowed his head and looked intensely at the table and began to draw designs in the shiny metal with an index finger.

"Optimus…I'm…I'm sorry about what I did."

The youngling squeaked in surprise when he felt a large hand scoop him off the table and settle him against a familiar chest.

"All is forgiven, little one."

Sunny rested his head above Optimus's spark chamber and sighed in contentment when he felt as well as heard the soothing thrum of the leader's spark.

Sides attempted to sit up as well but a gentle hand had pushed him back down. He pouted up at the stern but slightly amused face of Ratchet who was scanning him over again. The scan actually tickled and he giggled in response, bringing a small smile on the CMO's face.

"Unfortunately, Sides will need to remain here for another joor."

"Why?" Sunny's voice squeaked again, although this time the youngling didn't mind. It felt good to be carefree again…it was almost as if the encounter with Starscream had never happened.

"His spark was strained during the re-bonding process and his systems need time to adjust to the changes you both have made."

Sunny looked down at the floor with sorrow filled guilt.

"It's my fault."

Ratchet looked stunned at the youngling's words and shook his head.

"Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control. Besides, as far as I can tell…it appears as if your bond as doubled in strength, a very rare occurrence in our race."

Optimus gently stroked a finger against Sunny's cheek to get his attention.

"Little one, some bad things can turn around for the better. If you hadn't gone over the edge, you and Sides never would have rebuilt and strengthened your bond. I have a feeling that this was meant to happen…" Optimus fondly smiled at both younglings.

"Why?"

"Only time will tell youngling. I do believe that this event was indeed, a blessing for the both of you," Optimus wisely stated with mirth still in his optics.

"We have also decided not to separate the two of you. We will simply have a schedule to rotate you both around our ship-mates' schedules in order to accommodate everyone accordingly."

Sunny nodded his head in agreement and locked optics with his brother.

The twins smiled mischievously at one another and knew that from then on out, they were going to be a force to be reckoned with.

TO BE CONTINUED!!


	13. Double The Trouble

Author's Note: Here at long last, is the chapter in which the twins get into mischief. I hope you enjoy and as always, please leave a review!!

**Chapter 13**

Only a short amount of time had passed since the twins were finally cleared with a perfect bill of health. Now they had come to learn some very important things in this very brief time span. For one thing, it would be another three joors before their first instructor tutored them.

Until that time, Optimus had wisely left them with a few game chips and a data-pad for them to share. Only this time, the wise leader of the Autobots, failed to foresee that these two particular younglings would quickly lose interest and do what every youngling did when they finally caught the boredom disease—get into mischief.

Sunny and Sides had come up with the brilliant idea to help Ratchet in the med-bay…only to find the med-bay completely deserted.

"He's not here. Now what should we do?"

"Maybe we can still help somehow…"

That was when one of the twins spotted it.

It was abandoned, lying harmlessly on the floor.

"Hey Sunny, look at this!"

The yellow twin skittered across the room in excitement when a silver gleam caught his optical sensors, the object already under the careful scrutiny of his brother. Sides hefted the metal object up with both hands and stared at it in awe. It was amazing…it was magnificent…it was…

"What is this thing?"

Sunny cocked his bright yellow head to the side with a small shrug.

Sides grunted as he handed it to his twin for him to inspect.

"It's kind of heavy…"

"I think Ratchet uses this thing to fix owies with…"

"But…it's so big!"

"Maybe this one is only for big bots, like Optimus."

The two younglings marveled over their find and moved further into the bowels of Ratchet's domain.

"Hey, look up there!"

Sunny pointed up to where an entire wall was covered in similar such instruments. A few were identical to the one they had found abandoned on the floor. They were composed of many shapes and sizes, the very tools that Ratchet used to repair injured bots. Those particular tools were hanging from pegs above a counter next to one of the exam tables.

"We should put this back."

"Up there? But…we're too small! We can't reach that high!"

Sides thought about their dilemma with a small pout. The youngling turned and began to scan his surroundings with focused optics.

"That should work!"

Sides ran over to where a small metal stepping stool rested against one wall. He pushed it across the room until it was right next to the exam table.

"Okay…I'll climb up, and you hand me that thing once I'm up there."

"Okay," Sunny agreed readily.

The red twin managed to clamber up onto the exam table via stepping stool and then reached down with outstretched hands. Sunny handed him the object without protest.

Sides laughed weakly but made no move to pull it up with him. Sunny raised an optic ridge and continued to stare his brother down. Sides remained frozen in place with the thing still clasped in both hands.

"What? What's the matter?"

Sides looked sheepish and the youngling half-whispered out of embarrassment.

"It's too heavy…I can't lift it up here by myself."

"Okay, I'm coming."

Sunny pushed the stool over and then climbed up after his brother. He reached over the ledge and with their combined strength, they easily hefted it up onto even ground. The twins shared a grin and then studied the tool resting next to them on the table.

"Okay, now we just have to cross that small gap to get to the counter and put it back."

Sunny peered over the "small" gap to see that it wasn't as small as his brother claimed.

"We're gonna have to jump across."

Sides crept closer and clicked in disgust when he saw their predicament.

"Let me jump across Sides…I'm not scared to."

His twin snapped his head up to look at him with an adorable pout.

"I'm _not_ scared!"

"Then why are you shaking like that?"

The red twin followed his brother's pointed index finger to look down at himself to see that he was indeed, shivering.

Feeling the need to prove himself Sides managed to get most of the shivering under control, although deep down fear radiated within his spark. He hated heights along with the very real prospect of falling...

Sunny shook his head with a knowing smile and placed a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I can feel that you're scared…don't worry, I'll do it."

Sides continued to pout, not happy that his brother was right and handed over the tool.

"Be careful Sunny."

Sunny smiled as he took the object.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine."

With a concentrated look filled with raw determination, Sunny took a running leap and flew over the gap between the table and countertop to land in a comical heap. He gave his twin a thumbs up from where he was currently sprawled out and tangled in a pile of various, multicolored wires to let him know he was okay. After freeing himself, he retrieved Ratchet's miscellaneous tool and trotted over to gaze at the vast collection hanging on the wall in front of him.

The only available peg was near the top row, out of his reach. He dropped the tool on the counter and looked back at his brother.

"Sides, I can't reach it!"

"Maybe you can use that box over there!"

Sunny found the transparent container filled with nuts and bolts that his brother suggested and used it as another stepping stool. It wobbled a little under his weight but he managed to stay balanced. He hopped up a couple of times until he finally managed to snag the tool on the vacant peg and whooped with joy at his success. His celebration was short lived however when he lost his balance and fell forward, into the wall of tools. They fell off of their individual pegs, burying him beneath a sea of gleaming, silver metal.

One of the larger tools that had thankfully avoided landing on the youngling, ended up knocking into the container filled with nuts and bolts. It slid off of the counter and crashed on the floor, spilling its contents in every direction. One of the circular nuts rolled into a precariously leaning dustpan which in turn knocked over a broom and then a mop which crashed into another wall mounted with various sizes and compositions of power tools which fell onto a neatly stacked pile of sheet metal. Needless to say, the neatly stacked pile of sheet metal was no longer neatly stacked…

A small, yellow head poked up from the pile of tools once the noise had finally stopped. Sunny surveyed the scene before looking at his shocked brother a couple yards away.

"Oops…"

The only tool still hanging on the walls of the med-bay was the one that he managed to replace.

"All you can say is oops?!" Sides' voice squeaked in dismay as he continued to stare at the disaster area.

Sides groaned from where he was watching atop the exam table and gestured frantically.

"Hurry and put those back!"

Sunny was just preparing to leap back into action when the tell-tale sounds of the outer med-bay doors opening reached their audios. The twins shared a horrified look and froze, unsure of what to do. The door swooshed open just then to reveal Ratchet, currently preoccupied in conversation with a rather talkative Wheeljack who was explaining the blueprints of the new project he had yet to construct. The twins shifted optics to look at each other silently telling the other not to make any sudden moves.

Surprisingly, neither mech noticed the two younglings or the mess that currently decorated Ratchet's once pristinely organized repair ward.

The two elder Autobots stood in the doorway, continuing to talk before turning their backs on the med-bay and walked back out. The door hissed shut and re-locked, leaving the two startled younglings alone once more.

Sides wondered for a brief moment how the elders hadn't heard all of that racket. His optics locked onto the plastic and fabric covered walls and it was then that he realized the whole interior of the med-bay was _sound proof._

"Okay…hurry Sunny!"

Sunny scrambled back to try and clean up the mess he made. In his panicked haste to replace the last five, he ended up slipping, managing to knock three to the floor with loud clangs and clatters.

Well…at least the room was still soundproof.

Both younglings locked optics with each other for a brief moment before turning horrified expressions to the door. It was opening again.

"HIDE!" Sides hissed furiously before sliding down from the table and scurried under the recharge berth, keeping to the dark shadows.

Sunny squeaked in panic as he leapt back onto the exam table. The final sequence of moving mechanical parts in the double doors alerted the youngling to the imminent entrance of an elder that was most likely _not _going to be pleased with the sight of this place.

Sunny dove head first into the nearest available hiding spot, which was namely…a box filled with scrap.

The twins cringed from where they remained hidden as they heard a gasp followed by frantic footsteps that carried the individual into the heart of the room.

"What in the name of Primus happened here?!"

Ratchet growled low as he reached down to pick up one of his many wrenches that had fallen off of his tool rack hanging on the wall.

"Slag…it's gonna take half a century to clean up this mess…"

Sunny peered through the cracks of the various bits of machinery he was currently hiding in and watched with mild fascination as the medic expertly twirled one of his wrenches on his finger before sub-spacing it in a compartment on his hip.

Ratchet opened up a comlink.

:: Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me?::

:: Optimus here, what is it? ::

:: Someone has completely trashed my med-bay:

Silence greeted the medic's audios for a minute.

:: I'm sorry; I must have heard you wrong. It sounded like you said that someone trashed your med-bay:

Ratchet swore furiously in Cybertronian, actually picking up a wrench and hurling it across the room in his rage.

:: SLAG IT PRIME!! DO YOU NEED YOUR AUDIOS CHECKED?! Yes…SOMEONE…has trashed my med-bay:

Silence again.

:: That's very unfortunate. If you need anyone to assist you in the clean-up, Jazz can be there momentarily:

:: Frag it all, Optimus...I don't care about that right now, I just want to know WHO is the slagging glitch head responsible for this!!::

The silence lasted much longer this time.

:: Optimus? Do you read me?::

:: I apologize…for some unknown reason, the twins are not in their assigned quarters:

This time the silence was on Ratchet's end. Sunny clamped one hand over his lip components doing his best to hold back a giggle as one of the CMO's optics began to twitch.

:: I see. Once you find them, I wish to have a word with them:

:: Acknowledged, we are running through the security holos now:

The com-line cut out, bathing the med-bay in blessed silence.

Ratchet groaned as he began to re-organize some of the mess. Sunny tensed and curled further in on himself, when Ratchet suddenly turned his head to look directly at his hiding place with a raised optic ridge. The yellow twin began to panic but remained perfectly still.

_Oh no…can he see me? _

_I don't see you from where I am, so yeah…you should be okay. _

_Ratchet is coming towards me!!_

_Just don't move…_

It took extreme self-control for Sunny to remain still when every logic circuit within his processor screamed at him to RUN. He squeaked when the box he was hiding in was picked up by the CMO. The medic grunted from the effort and eyed the box with a critical eye.

"That's odd…I could almost swear this wasn't as full a joor ago…"

After a moment, Ratchet merely shrugged and continued walking towards his intended destination. Sunny could see through the small slit in the box, a brightly bolded sign on the wall that was rapidly approaching.

It said: _Airlock disposal_

Uh oh…that didn't sound good.

Ratchet hummed happily to himself as he activated the opening mechanism and dumped the contents of the box down the chute. Sunny giggled with pure delight as he was sent sliding down where he finally landed in a heap with the rest of the scrap at the bottom. A red strobe light was flashing beside an air sealed door. The youngling squeaked when the door opened, jettisoning the contents of the small room, sending him wheeling out into space. He felt his systems slowing from the cold but remained online as he began to float next to the ship. Thanks to the force of the airlock jettison, his flight carried him past various viewports.

The first viewport took him past the face of a stunned Ratchet whose optics looked about ready to explode once he caught sight of him outside of the hull. The CMO disappeared, most likely to find help. Sunny actually didn't mind being out here…it was calm and peaceful. And the stars were pretty. His attention was redirected when he spotted another familiar face.

One hallway was composed entirely of viewport material.

Sunny giggled and waved at one of the passing mechs who looked at him with a smile before doing a shocked double take. The mech, Mirage if the name served him right, dropped the stack of data pads to the floor with wide optics as he continued to watch a bright yellow youngling float past the observation deck. He ran and waved his arms, screaming something unintelligible at him. Sunny cocked his head and shrugged in confusion since he was unable to hear what the mech was saying. Mirage kept running alongside him but ran headlong into a wall once the corridor and viewport windows had all ended.

His uncontrolled flight took him past one of the officer's quarters. He peered in as he floated past to catch optic contact with none other than Ironhide. The weapons specialist also did a double take looking absolutely startled, in which time his left cannon discharged a plasma round, creating a huge crater in the floor of his room. The last glance Sunny had of him, the black armored mech was holding one scorched foot while hopping on the other, most likely screaming profanities at his misfortune.

Meanwhile, Optimus and Prowl were currently discussing new and improved security measures and battle tactics on the bridge when they received multiple calls from the crew.

:: There is a **youngling **OUTSIDE of the ship!!::

:: We have a youngling overboard, Captain:

:: SIR! You need to look out the nearest viewport, _starboard side_:

Prowl turned to see a bright yellow youngling slowly cart-wheeling in an uncontrolled yet predictable path, spinning head over heels out in space. Without turning to look at Prime, he reached over and tapped Optimus on the shoulder. Optimus who had been questioning the mech currently on the com turned to see what had caught his tactician's attention.

"Well, you don't see that everyday…" Prowl commented with a small smirk as the youngling continued to float past.

Sunny spotted Optimus and grinned happily, waving furiously at him with much vigor from where he was currently situated upside down before tumbling right side up again. Optimus's wide optics followed the little one, his mouth hanging open in shocked disbelief. His head turning slowly to the left as the youngling finally floated around until he was plastered on the bridge's forward viewport.

The youngling's adorable little face was scrunched up in discomfort as he was currently getting acquainted with the glass-like material, his little body spread eagled as if he was in the middle of a jumping jack. Since the ship was operating on impulse power, there was enough forward thrust to keep the little one glued to the viewport until someone went out to retrieve him.

:: Who is the nearest to the docking bay?::

:: I am sir:

:: Jazz, please retrieve our small charge from the forward viewport and return with him to the med-bay:

:: Yes, sir:

Jazz left the launch bay, using a small thruster pack to propel him towards his intended target. While he was outside and passing the viewports where his fellows smiled or waved at him from inside, he saluted them before using his spin to perform some highly entertaining break dance moves in the vast expanse of space, keeping to his famous motto of "do it in style or not at all".

"Heh, this ain't so bad…this is kinda fun, don't ya think?!"

Sunny heard the approaching mech and caught a glimpse of Jazz spazzing out nearby and couldn't help but giggle again at the mech's antics.

Jazz soon spotted the youngling and maneuvered himself closer, ending his break-dancing routine.

"Hey kid, I gotcha'…hold tight now, we're gonna go for a little ride."

Once Sunny was secured in his arms, he activated the jetpack and flew back to the docking bay.

"Yo Hatchet! I got the kid…he's alrigh' so don't blow a circuit!"

Ratchet was already in the docking bay, tapping a foot nervously, hoping to Primus that the youngling wasn't injured. He couldn't believe he had accidentally dumped Sunny out of the airlock disposal!! So many things could have gone wrong!! The youngling could have been injured or worse…he could have been crushed beneath the weight of the scrap heap he tossed down the chute! What if there was a black hole out there and its gravity had pulled the helpless youngling in? Or if a stray comet or meteor had collided…or even ran into some random Con scout, or—

His thoughts ground to a halt the nanosecond his optics locked on to the small yellow frame of the youngling.

"Thank Primus…"

Ignoring Jazz's playful banter, he ran shoving the shorter mech aside and immediately scooped the youngling up from where he was standing and held him close to his chest as if to reassure himself that Sunny was indeed alive and in one piece.

"I'm so glad you are safe…"

Ratchet held Sunny against him in a near crushing grip, the youngling's face now compressed against the medic's chest plating. Sunny's optics flickered and he struggled to free himself while gasping through semi-blocked vents.

"You-re…crush-ing…me!"

Ratchet immediately pulled the youngling away from him, holding Sunny up in front of his worried face. The CMO had two gentle hands beneath Sunny's underarm cavities, holding the youngling up for inspection.

"Let me have a look at you…"

The CMO immediately began to run a scan to make sure that Sunny was truly unharmed, only satisfied with the results after the seventh scan. He was reluctant to set the squirming youngling back down and decided to carry him back to the med-bay, despite the little one's protests.

"I can walk myself you know…"

"I know youngling."

Sunny was currently pouting with crossed arms as Ratchet carried him through the maze of corridors by his scruff bar, his legs instinctively curled in beneath him making him appear like a little cyber kitten.

They passed Mirage on the observation deck, Sunny smiling shyly from Ratchet's firm yet gentle grasp after the spy winked at him as he collected the remaining two data pads from the floor.

When they finally reached the med-bay, the youngling was a little surprised to find his twin already out from his hiding place. He was currently collecting all of the stray nuts and bolts and putting them back in the container. Ratchet finally set him down on the floor after shutting the door behind them and he knelt down so that he was at optic level with the little one.

"Sunny…I would appreciate it if you helped me clean this mess. I know that it was you and your brother that did it. From now on, you are both forbidden to touch any of my tools!"

Sunny nodded slowly, with a sad face.

Ratchet was a little confused by this.

"What's the matter?"

"I just wanted to help…"

Ratchet heard the story from the twins about their adventure in trying to return his stray tool, only to end up creating the disaster area by mistake. As much as Ratchet wanted to stay angry, he just couldn't, especially with the way Sunny was looking at him now. Primus…he really did look like a little lost cyber puppy.

The yellow twin sniffled and turned teary optics up on his elder with the most adorable expression the CMO had ever seen. His resolve crumbled and he sighed as his stern expression melted away.

"That was very thoughtful of you, Sunny. And for future reference…this is called a **wrench**. And the troublesome mechs who complain or give me trouble always get rewarded by receiving one of these."

Sunny's optics brightened and he nodded his head happily. Maybe someday, if he did exactly as Ratchet just said he would get a wrench all for himself…

"Okay, I'll help you!"

For the rest of the joor, the three teamed up in sorting through the mess and placed everything back so that the med bay appeared just as it had before the accident.

Once they were finished, Ratchet smiled fondly down at the twins.

"Thank you for your help today. And Sunny…"

Sunny turned to look at Ratchet expectantly.

"Don't you EVER hide in one of my scrap boxes, again!"

The medic hoped that the youngling had learned his lesson. Ratchet sure learned his…from that day forward, he always checked to make sure that there were no sneaky or mischievous younglings hiding in any of the boxes that were to be sent to the airlock disposal.

At least by some divine fortune, wheeljack had accidentally destroyed the ship's single functioning trash compactor with his last invention roughly three orns ago. Ratchet shuddered to think what would have happened had he accidentally thrown Sunny in there…

"Now Ironhide will be here in a few minutes to pick you up, until then you can just—"

Ratchet was cut off when the door opened and Ironhide hopped in…on one foot.

"Dare I ask, what happened **this** time?"

Ironhide growled as he held up his damaged foot for the medic to see.

"I saw Sunny floating out the viewport…"

Ratchet was stunned into silence as he fit the pieces together.

"So you shot yourself in the foot?!"

"Kind of…"

The black armored mech trailed off helplessly, embarrassed enough as it was that he practically blew his own foot off and silenced the two giggling younglings with a glare.

Ratchet hit Ironhide with his wrench.

"That's for being such a glitch-head!! Now SIT DOWN!"

Ironhide all but dove onto the nearest exam table, doing everything within his power to avoid Ratchet's infamous wrath…after all, his cranial unit was still slightly dented from his last visit.

Ratchet dismissed the two younglings with a warning.

"You two, stay out of trouble!"

He went back to repairing Ironhide's foot. The twins shared a look and shrugged before walking out of the med-bay.

They wandered around for a bit, Sunny telling his twin all about his adventure out in space until they both found themselves in front of an unfamiliar door. It was unlocked and opened the moment they got near it.

"Hey…what do you think is in there?"

"Let's find out…"

The twins walked in and the door swished shut behind them as the automatic lights thrummed on above them, illuminating the room.

"Someone lives here…"

"Yeah but who?"

There was a recharge berth in one corner, a desk in the other and a bookshelf dividing the bed and desk in the very center of the back wall. It was filled with holo-books and holo-vids. Sides went over to investigate and made a face at his discovery.

"It's just a bunch of boring stuff…"

Sunny found one of the holo-books lying harmlessly on the chair next to the desk. It activated after he opened it and began to replay a video about how to re-attach a severed limb.

"Eww…that's gross!!"

Sunny slammed it closed and put it back on the chair.

As the twins continued to explore the new room, they both stumbled upon a very interesting find.

The red twin reached for a holo-vid that was clearly unmarked. It had no labels like all of the other ones. It activated the moment his hands touched it, replaying a video that was very, very old.

The entire room was replaced as the holographic projections began to tell a forgotten story…

Sunny and Sides stared with wonder as they found themselves standing in a classroom. There were other younglings scattered throughout the room, most of which were playing with colorful toys or puzzles.

One youngling in particular caught their optics.

_A lone youngling, sat in the very center of the room by himself, completely oblivious to the other younglings that ran past him. _

_He was a red and white colored youngling who was rather small in stature. He had around him, a splendid collection of toy tools. A plastic hammer was currently situated in one tiny fist while his other hand was busy preparing a plastic nail to be hammered into a piece of play dough. _

_Another youngling, this one blue and silver in color walked up to stand beside the littlest one who was currently preoccupied with his project._

_The older one rocked back and forth on his heels and sneered down at the other._

"_Back to playing Dr. Nobody?"_

_The little youngling ignored him and busily hammered away at the play dough._

"_That's stupid…you aren't even fixing anything!!"_

_Once again, silence._

"_My father said that if you're not going to use tools properly, then don't use them at all!"_

_The blue and gray youngling walked around and kicked some of the other youngling's play-tools away, finally eliciting a response. _

_The red and white youngling looked up with a glare, looking at the elder with calculating optics. _

"_You stupid glitch-head!" _

_His tiny voice squeaked angrily as he crawled back up to his feet._

_Before the older youngling could react, the little one had leapt at him with a furious screech and began to pummel him repeatedly in the head with his toy hammer._

_One of the blows actually succeeded in temporarily off-lining the young mech and he fell to the floor in a stunned daze. The little youngling hummed happily to himself as he collected his scattered tools and returned to the side of his fallen classmate. He then began to unscrew and completely disassemble the bully's arm, using his plastic toy tools. _

_A few minutes later and the older youngling ran to his teacher crying while holding his arm up for her to see. _

"_Instructor Arcee…look at what Dr. Freak-bot did to me!!"_

_The pink femme teacher turned and when she saw the youngling holding his own arm she screamed shrilly in alarm. _

"_Who did this to you, Sentinal?!"_

"_HE DID!!"_

_The youngling pointed an accusing finger at the perfectly content red and white youngling who was back to playing with his toy tools._

_The teacher sighed and palm faced herself, just as a charcoal colored youngling ran by and stole Sentinel's arm. The youngling screeched and ran after him._

_"Ironhide__, give Sentinel back his arm, this instant!!"_

_Ironhide smirked before taking the pilfered arm and slapped Sentinel in the face with his own appendage. The blue and gray youngling fell on his aft and cried. _

_The red and white youngling who had been observing the entire spectacle from across the room got up and approached Ironhide. _

"_What do you want?"_

_The red and white youngling took his toy wrench and threw it at the dark youngling's head, knocking him down._

"_To teach you to be nice to people, you stupid slag-heap!"_

Sunny and Sides shared a stunned look as they finally realized who the red and white youngling was.

The twins kept watching with wide eyed fascination.

_Youngling Ratchet took his toy screwdriver and his hammer and began to re-attach Sentinel's arm, exactly the way it was. _

"_Be nicer to me…or else I'll take apart your legs next time!"_

_Sentinel nodded his head vigorously before running away once the youngling was repaired again. _

_Ratchet was very intelligent for his young age. _

_And that was why Arcee was currently contacting the science division that very nanosecond after witnessing the entire spectacle._

The holo-vid ended there and the twins sat in stunned silence for a few minutes before looking at each other again.

"He took that youngling's arm off."

"He deserved it though…he was a meany."

"He threw something at Ironhide."

"That was my favorite part," Sunny grinned widely.

"Ratchet almost seemed sad…"

"Why do you think he was sad?"

Sides shrugged.

"Maybe later, we can ask him!"

"Sounds good..."

The twins put the holovid back where they got it from and quickly left Ratchet's quarters before the CMO found them going through his personal possessions.

They returned to the med-bay to find that it was empty...AGAIN.

Sunny sighed and shook his small head, feeling a sense of deja-vu when he spotted another wrench on the floor.

"I say we leave it there this time..."

Sides stared at it thoughtfully, the gears turning in his head as the young bot remembered something.

"He said we aren't allowed to touch any of his tools..."

Sunny remembered what Ratchet had said before and wondered just what they could do to earn their very own wrench...

"How can we do anything when we aren't allowed to touch it?"

Sides patted his brother on the back with a devilish smirk.

"I'm not going to touch it...I'm just going to _move_ it."

Sunny blinked in confusion and watched his twin cross the room, pull out some invisible string (where he got that from, Sunny didn't know) and without touching the wrench, managed to firmly tie the transparent string around it. He hurried back to his twin where they both crawled under a recharge berth to hide just as Ratchet came back in. The moment the medic spotted it he sighed loudly and crossed the room to pick it up.

Sides pulled on the string a little, moving the wrench a few inches away from Ratchet when the medic wasn't looking. When his grasping fingers touched a bare floor he turned to look down to see that the wrench was now innocently sitting about half a foot away. He muttered to himself as he attempted to swipe it off of the ground again, this time locking narrowed optics on it.

The CMO yelped and jumped a foot back when his wrench _MOVED._ Last time he checked, his tools weren't supposed to be doing that...

"Alright, time to put you back where you belong! If...you would just...HOLD STILL!!!"

Ratchet reached down a couple more times to pick it up again, only to have his fingers swipe at empty air. The wrench slid across the floor, beckoning him to follow. The CMO followed the evil wrench that had escaped his grasp more than thrice now, suspicion forming interesting theories within his processor.

A soft giggle broke the still silence.

Ratchet's optic started twitching although a nanosecond later the medical officer was fighting back a grin.

"Do I hear a couple of trouble making younglings nearby?"

Ratchet was smiling now as he walked deliberately past their chosen hiding spot.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

The twins remained as still as possible beneath their hiding place. Sides choked back another giggle when two large feet stopped in front of their chosen refuge. The CMO continued to play their little game, enjoying himself for once.

"Where in the galaxy could those two be? I'll be so sad and lonely if they don't come back!!"

Before the twins knew what hit them, they were dragged out by a chuckling elder who held them in the air by their scruff bars. The little ones kicked and struggled but to no avail.

"Let us go!"

"Put us down!!"

The two younglings were pleading through their giggles.

"And what brings a couple of mischief making younglings to my med bay?"

Ratchet set one down and focused his sole attention on the red one currently in his grasp.

Sides shrieked in delight when the CMO began to tickle him. Ratchet traded the red one for the yellow and continued to tickle the twins, one after the other. If anyone happened to walk in at that moment, they would be asking themselves if they were in the right repair ward let alone the right fraggin UNIVERSE once they witnessed the usually orneryRatchet chasing after two younglings while promising loads of tickle torture once he captured them again.

"I thought I told you both not to touch my tools?"

Ratchet was smirking as he bent down to retrieve the mystery wrench. The CMO was a little surprised to find invisible string tied around it. So that's how the twin devils did it...

As angry as the CMO usually got when some glitch-head found a way to bend his rules, he just couldn't get angry at these two for some reason. The little stunt they just pulled was harmless anyway. Sunny and Sides would most likely grow out of this phase eventually...until then he would just patiently endure the rest of the mischief the two little trouble makers managed to dish out.

If only the CMO knew, just how wrong he was in thinking that...

"I think that its high time the both of you got some recharge."

The twins groaned and offered up feeble complaints that fell on deaf audios. Ratchet chuckled as he scooped them both up and set them down on a recharge berth.

"You are both very tired...it's time to sleep, little ones."

Sunny pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not tired!!"

Ratchet raised an optic ridge with the ghost of a smile on his face.

"Is that so?"

The medic then reached over and began to mercilessly tickle the youngling's sensitive midsection until his vents were working overtime to cool his systems down. Sunny was now laying down, staring up at the ceiling through drooping optics as the last tickle attack drained the rest of his energy.

"Not tired..."

With those final words, the yellow youngling's optics closed and he drifted off into recharge.

Sides snuggled against the warm metal of the recharge berth and tried to fake a stasis nap but he was unable to fool the elder bot. Ratchet began to gently stroke the red youngling's back panels in a soothing gesture until he too, was fast asleep.

Ratchet sighed as the med-bay was bathed in silence again. He sat beside the younglings, content to simply watch over them.

They were so peaceful and innocent while recharging...

Soon, Ratchet's head drooped and before the elder knew it, he had drifted off into a stasis nap himself.

TO BE CONTINUED!!

A/N: Just want to clarify a few things. Firstly, I figured that back in Ratchet's day when he was a youngling, the youngling's frames were not as complex as the twins are today. I figured that it would be very possible for a youngling Ratchet to disassemble his classmates arm without causing any pain or bleeding since the younglings back when the dinosaurs roamed, didn't have pain receptors or energon in their extremities yet until all bots were eventually upgraded over the years.

And due in large part to the books concerning the Transformers sequel, the Autobots were capable of fighting hand to hand with the Decepticons in space...therefore, nothing bad can really happen to them since for starters, they don't really require air to breathe and they are sentient machines, not organics.

Please leave a review before you go! REVIEWS GIVE LIFE TO THIS STORY!! ;)


	14. Mischief Makers

Chapter 14

Sunny and Sides were a little surprised to learn that while they had been in deep recharge, the younglings and caretaker refugees from Alpha Sigma had been dropped off at a safe zone in which to seek sanctuary. The last remaining youth sector was only three days away, if you had a fast ship.

They had informed the youth sector that they had neighbors nearby should they need anything. The Autobots then left them with enough supplies to last a few vorns.

The twins weren't sure how they had missed everyone while exploring the ship. Then again, the ship was pretty big in its' own right.

Whatever the case, Sunny and Sides and the Autobots were now the ARK's sole inhabitants.

Which was an oddity in itself…why did the Autobots single them out? By all rights, they should have been dropped off with the other younglings at the new youth sector. The twins decided to question Optimus about it.

"Why did you let us stay?"

Optimus knew this question would surface at some point and answered simply without any elaboration.

"The Decepticons know your faces and your designations. You will both be safer with us."

The twins nodded in unison before leaving him to his work.

The Autobot leader left out one major detail. Thanks to both Mirage and Prowl's intelligence and surveillance, Decepticon activity was rather chaotic, suggesting that they were searching for something…or someone. Most likely the word had finally reached Megatron of the two younglings that had for the most part eluded Starscream and the Decepticon leader was most likely interested in finding them, especially since Sunny had for a time displayed very Decepticon-like characteristics.

Optimus had suspicions.

Despite the fact that the Decepticons wiped out two youth sectors mercilessly without hesitation or restraint, did not hide their true devious intentions. They were looking for new recruits. What better recruits than impressionable younglings who displayed aggressive traits?

Sunny was most likely going to be Starscream and Megatron's main target. Ultimately, if they got to Sunny, they would get a double package…his twin. Sides was in as much danger now if the Decepticons ever found them. The twins were inseparable. Where one went, the other was sure to follow.

Optimus and his crew thought hard about the problem the Decepticons presented. Prowl, the intelligent strategist that he was, had come up with the brilliant idea to send the twins with the other refugees at the youth sector since Starscream knew that they had the twins in their possession last. Optimus thoughtfully considered it until he realized something. Megatron was no fool…he would expect them to do just that very thing. That was why his forces were scattered all over the place, searching for them. He must have figured that Optimus would make the decision to send the twins into hiding, leaving the younglings exposed and vulnerable. Why would Optimus keep the twins in his possession if Starscream knew that was who had them last?

That explained why the Decepticon scout ships that appeared five orns after dropping off the refugees had left them alone for the time being. They didn't think that Optimus Prime would be foolish enough to keep them.

It took a lot of arguing and reasoning to reassure Prowl that their new plan would succeed. Optimus had to admit that many times the Autobots were too predictable. It was finally time to shake things up and do the unexpected for once.

"We have avoided detection for this long. I still don't like it…we should leave this sector."

The Decepticon scout ships had been trailing them for a while now, most likely curious as to where they were going and what their intentions were. This only served to squeeze Optimus's spark with icy fear. Fear that their unpredictable plan had been discovered and that the Decepticons had finally figured out that the twins _were_ still with them aboard the ARK.

Then again, flying away at top speed or engaging the ship's evasive subroutines would only arouse their suspicion…the only choice they had now was to act as if everything was normal…act as if they had nothing at all to hide or protect.

Optimus sighed heavily and sorted through various datapads, reading through Prowl's reports.

The Autobot leader prayed that the Decepticons did not catch on to their little ploy any time soon…or any time at all for that matter.

Meanwhile…

Two mischievous younglings snuck into a restricted area, ignoring the "Danger: Stay out" signs on the outside of the door.

They carried their prize with them and secured the mini device to the floor with adhesive before sneaking around to crouch behind one of the many blast barriers. A mech was humming merrily as he tinkered with something. A little red light was flashing on the mini device, alerting the twins that the countdown was almost over. Right as the inventor was connecting a green wire with an orange striped one, it happened.

Sunny clamped a hand over his face to keep from laughing when the device exploded sending a shower of sparks and smoke roiling through the room. The mech in question screamed shrilly while diving behind a barrier.

After a minute, the mech crawled out from his safe zone and peeked cautiously around the edge. The scientist stood back up hesitantly and approached the device he had been previously tinkering with, confusion evident on his faceplates.

"That's odd…I could have sworn that this just exploded…"

He glanced around the room until his optics locked on to a small, black object taped to the floor in the middle of his lab. He reached down and picked it up in surprise.

"A flash-bang grenade…"

Just then the com in the room came to life and the angry voice of Ratchet came through.

:: Did you blow yourself up AGAIN you stupid slagtard?!:

Wheeljack responded, a bit distracted as he examined the tiny grenade. It was perfectly harmless, merely used for elusive or distractive purposes in the middle of combat. Ironhide kept a small store of these in the armory.

:: Negative. I found one of Ironhide's flash-bang grenades it went off in the middle of my lab:

Silence lasted a few astro-seconds until Ratchet's voice came back sounding incredibly frustrated.

:: When you see the twins…send them to the med-bay so that I may have a **word** with them!:

:: Understood:

Wheeljack jumped a bit startled when Ratchet screamed back through the com.

:: AND THAT STUPID GLITCH-HEAD!!:

It didn't take advanced quantum astrophysics for Wheeljack to figure out that Ratchet was referring to Ironhide. The CMO was most likely going to re-arrange the negligent weapons specialist's limbs for not locking up the armory, allowing two trouble-making younglings to slip in and grab the said flash-bang grenade in his hand.

"Sunny…Sides, I know that you are here. Would you mind coming out and explaining yourselves?"

The twins exchanged frightened looks before shrieking shrilly and running for the door. They slid to a stop when a large, imposing figure blocked it.

"I-Ironhide…" the red twin's voice came out in a high squeak as he backed away from the intimidating figure.

Sunny didn't mind Ironhide too much although the look on his face promised much grief if they didn't start talking.

"W-we…were just…uhhh…visiting Wheeljack"

"With a grenade?!"

"It…wasn't one of the bad ones!"

The twins had taken a couple of lessons with the weapons specialist concerning combat and weapons. He had started with a lecture on the dangers and extremely awesome firepower that could be unleashed from each and every weapon in the armory. It was his own erroneous slip up that he mentioned that the only weapon in that place not worth using in combat were the flash-bang grenades…simply because they caused no damage to any of the Decepticon slaggers.

The twins had heard of Wheeljack's many mishaps from numerous explosions from experiments gone wrong. That knowledge combined with what Ironhide told them about the 'useless' grenades gave them this brilliant prank idea. It was kind of funny…to see Wheeljack totally flip out when the fake explosion shook his lab. Nothing was damaged and everyone remained perfectly unharmed…for the moment.

"DON'T EVER…touch anything in the armory without permission ever again!" Ironhide growled down at the two trouble makers.

They nodded their heads with wide optics.

"Ratchet wants to talk to you three…" Wheeljack spoke up from where he was currently in the process of re-wiring something on that new do-hickey that was attached to that thingie majig he was working on.

Ironhide nearly let loose a string of curses until he remembered there were two impressionable little younglings standing right in front of him. He sighed heavily and gestured for the twins to follow him.

The three trudged wearily down the hallways, their audio receptors already tingling in painful anticipation to the abuse they were soon about to receive once Ratchet had them in his sight.

They entered the CMO's domain very reluctantly. At first, it appeared as if the good doc wasn't home but as soon as Ironhide released a pent up sigh of relief, Ratchet stood up from where he had been crouched down behind a recharge berth, repairing one of the power mechanisms on it. The nanosecond he spotted the three, his blue optics narrowed and a menacing growl tore from his vocal capacitor.

"You three… Get in here…NOW!"

The twins were pushed further into the room by a wary Ironhide who was mumbling something unintelligible. Sunny thought he heard something along the lines of 'that crazy, overbearing fragger is gonna be the death of me…'

The door slid shut behind them, sealing them in with a very irate looking Ratchet who was currently holding TWO wrenches in his hand…one was smaller…the other was larger.

Sunny felt a little excited at the prospect of receiving his very first wrench! Maybe he was rewarding them for helping him clean up the other day…

One of the CMO's optics started twitching mid-rant. The twins shrank back and hid behind Ironhide's legs but the weapons specialist grunted and sat down on a recharge berth, leaving the twins completely exposed in the middle of the room. He smirked as he watched the twins cower back in complete fear as Ratchet assailed them with angry words filled with absolute caring. It was for their own good…the doc just didn't want them to hurt themselves.

"…can't BELIEVE you both!! Next time you pull a stupid stunt like that, I swear to Primus, that I will…"

Ironhide sat back and watched contentedly thankful that he wasn't on the receiving end of Hatchet's wrath…until the ornery CMO turned narrowed optics on him…

"AND YOU…you stupid glitch-head!! Someone could have been hurt or even KILLED if the younglings had grabbed a REAL grenade instead of the flash-bangs!"

Ratchet stormed across the med bay towards him and Ironhide slid off of the table and ran from the enraged medic, shouting apologies even as the first wrench left the CMO's hand.

The twins stood fascinated, rooted to the spot as they watched the growing spectacle between the medic and Ironhide. Sunny giggled when one of the wrenches hit Ironhide, clean in the head. Sides laughed as Ironhide all but dove behind a recharge berth to escape the next three wrenches that Ratchet threw at him.

Soon, Ironhide was set free and Ratchet sighed heavily, putting his tools back where he got them and made a 'shooing' motion in their direction.

"Now get out of my med bay…I have work to do."

They left quickly, without argument and Ironhide stalked off to lock the armory, leaving the twins to their mischief.

Sunny and Sides exchanged a look before running in the direction of the bridge.

Once they got closer, they crept silently along until they were near the doors.

Sides frowned when he realized the door wasn't set for automatic open. They retreated to a distance but still in sight of the bridge door.

"How do we get that door open?"

As if in response to his question, Jazz walked up to the door and punched in a code on a keypad and walked in.

"Oh…"

Sunny smirked before running towards the still open door but froze when Prowl walked out. The tactician spotted the yellow youngling…once again unsupervised. What a surprise…

"Sunny…what are you doing here?"

"N-nothing! I was just leaving!!"

He turned to run away but Prowl was quicker and grabbed him by the shoulder, preventing him from escaping.

"Where is your guardian?"

Sunny sagged in defeat and shook his head.

"Locking up the armory…we aren't allowed to go anywhere near there without permission first! So we were gonna ask Optimus…"

Sides answered for his brother as he walked up to them.

"Well, Optimus is a little preoccupied at the moment…"

The door slid open and the Autobot leader himself strode out, just in time to catch the last bit of Prowl's sentence.

"I will take things from here."

Prowl nodded silently before continuing down the corridor to mind his own business.

"Younglings…what am I going to do with you?"

Optimus asked the question with the hint of a smile in his optics.

Sunny and Sides exchanged a look before grinning up slyly at the Autobot leader.

"PLAY WITH US!!"

Optimus smiled warmly and nodded his head slowly.

"Alright…but so long as you follow the rules of the game"

The twins both ran forward and grabbed one of Optimus's hands and began to drag him down the hall with them.

This was going to be fun!!

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: Sorry if this seemed rushed but I seem to have lost my muse again and real life issues are dragging me down again. -_-

To make up for this suckish chapter I would like to post a short fic with this chapter. It was co-authored by me and Autobotgirl6. It's 'the story game' in which one person starts a sentence, leaves it hanging with one word, and then the other person finishes the sentence and leaves a word, building up a gradual short story. (To see more short stories like the one below, go check out Autobotgirl6's profile to get more since we alternate who posts them!) So here it is!! :D

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Story Game 2: "Mountain Dew and Transformers Don't Mix"

"Once upon a time, there was a mean, stupid, moldy robot who lived in a pineapple under the sea and was neighbors to his best friend whose name was Gummy Bear Man. He liked…to smell bouquets of sweet smelling flowers and had a favorite past time which was hopping through the meadow of pink unicorns and bananas! And…called KFC because the fried chicken was to die for, which is what was going to happen since the food had been totally drenched in the awesome drink of Mountain Dew and made the crazy old man breakdance till the crack of dawn until at long last the music ended and soundwave became emo once again and ended up awakening inside of an empty Motel 6, covered with mountain Dew cans. Fearfully, soundwave took a crap and then ran in a zig-zag pattern like a zebra off of the discovery channel, which looked incredibly like some old guy leaping from a trapeze and grinning as he gracefully flew…and hit the ground. Then Darth vader strode into the clearing with his red lightsaber and sliced off his swiss cheese, making a tasty ham sammich and eating…a plate of fresh turds with some spices and the taste of cinnomen in every disgusting, puking, vile smell that made Optimus Prime gag and grab the can of Febreeze. Nonetheless…Dr. Doucheclawticon was defeated in the most humiliating of ways, which was namely to make him do the chicken dance, then try to regain his shattered dignity, which was most likely impossible because…he hated migraines and needed to go to a super wal-mart to buy some pain medications or else he would get tongue cancer, and never be able to complain about his life again! Sure enough….the Doucheclawticon crawled back up out of the mud pit in humiliation and snarled angrily only to get kicked in the manly area, which made him cry like a sparkling as he bent over in pain. Of course the Autobots were victorious and both the decepticons and their pitiful master unicorn were destroyed forever." THE END


	15. Hide and go Sneak

Author's Note: Sorry it took me forever to post another chapter. I'm going to wrap this story up with a few more chapters since I have too many unfinished projects that also need my attention. Thanks for sticking with me you guys! I appreciate your reviews.

**Chapter 16**

"Come out wherever you are!"

A small hand covered a grinning mouth as the being in question did his very best not to giggle from his hiding place. If he vented even a sigh of air he would surely be caught!

"I know you are somewhere in this room, Sideswipe. Come out and then you can help me find your brother!"

Again, silence filled the room and Optimus Prime scanned his surroundings with piercing blue optics, searching for his prey. The little red youngling was remarkably good at this game and so far, he had left decoy clues to throw Optimus off of his trail. At one point, the great Autobot leader managed to pounce upon a fake youngling composed of sheets, pillows, and other oddly assorted items to make the thing under the blanket in the recreation room look like one of the younglings was hiding there. Sideswipe set a trap that triggered some sort of sound recording behind a recharge berth in Ratchet's med-bay the moment Optimus set foot through the door. It sounded like a giggling youngling but there was the apparent lack of a body in the room. This only served to confuse the Autobot leader until he found the recording device placed in a clever spot between the recharge cables next to the wall.

He was a very sneaky youngling and too smart for his own good.

Optimus soon found the clue he was looking for and grinned in triumph.

"I see your foot sticking out from your hiding place Sideswipe. The game is over, I found you!"

The foot twitched at the statement and then a little red youngling stood up from where he had been hiding behind a box of storage items with a pout on his young face.

Optimus laughed with mirth at the little one's expression and knelt down so he could be more level with him.

"You did a marvelous job hiding Sideswipe! You were very clever with your decoy tricks. Now I've been having a difficult time finding Sunstreaker. Will you help me find him?"

Sideswipe's optics lit up at the prospect and nodded his head eagerly with a small smile.

"Alright, let's go find him then."

The two walked out of the storage room and down the hallway. Optimus was about to keep walking but stopped when Sideswipe piped up from behind him.

"He's in this room!"

Optimus turned around and saw that Sideswipe was pointing excitedly at a room labeled "Medical Storage".

They both entered cautiously and looked for Sunstreaker. No wonder Optimus was having such a hard time finding him. The little yellow youngling was curled up cutely in an empty box, deep in recharge. He was snuggling with his red blanket and didn't hear his brother or Optimus enter the room. The red twin giggled from where he stood observing his sleeping brother and looked up to Optimus.

"I suppose he got tired of hiding…"

"Hide and go seek can be a tiring game sometimes," Optimus agreed with a smile while he bent down to scoop up the exhausted youngling from out of the box. Once he had Sunstreaker nestled safely in his arms he headed for the door with Sideswipe hot on his heels. When they arrived at their quarters, Optimus gently placed Sunstreaker on the recharge berth he shared with his twin and tenderly tucked him in. Sideswipe watched a few feet away and then frowned when Optimus turned on him with a look that brooked no argument.

"Time for a nap little one"

"Aww…come on Optimus, I'm not tired!"

"No arguing youngling. After your nap we can play some more if time permits."

Sideswipe scowled with his arms crossed over his chest as Optimus plucked him up off of the floor and tucked him in next to his slumbering brother. He shot his elder a sour look before rolling over and proceeded to stare at the wall in bitter silence, not at all pleased with nap time. Optimus sat across from the twins with a smirk on his faceplates as he watched over them while they recharged. A few minutes passed and soon, Optimus heard soft snores coming from Sideswipe and he grinned as he listened a moment longer.

"I know you are faking recharge Sideswipe," Optimus spoke softly so he wouldn't wake Sunny.

Sideswipe rolled back over to give his elder an incredulous look of shocked awe.

"How did you know?"

Optimus's grin widened at those words and he gazed fondly down at him.

"It's my job to know."

"But I thought your job was leader of the Autobots!"

Optimus shushed Sideswipe and pointed at his sleeping twin with a look that made Sides lower his voice.

"As your caretaker, I know many things little one. And I know something else, want to hear it?"

Sideswipe nodded his head enthusiastically, wondering what sort of secret Optimus Prime was going to entrust him with.

"I know…that you are very tired and need to recharge."

Sideswipe pouted again at those words and shook his head stubbornly.

"I'm not tired!"

"Suit yourself."

Optimus leaned back against the wall and closed his optics and appeared to be resting. Sideswipe stared at him in disbelief. Then he got a brilliant idea…

If Optimus was busy recharging, maybe he could sneak off and see what Wheeljack was up to.

Sideswipe took his time inching his way to the edge of the recharge berth and when he thought the coast was clear, hopped down and made a break for the door. He squeaked out angrily when a large hand caught him up into a set of loving arms.

"Hey! Put me down, I don't wanna recharge!"

"Please cooperate little one and rest."

Sideswipe let a feral growl escape his vocal processor and curled up in Optimus's arms, finally relenting as the leader continued to hold him.

"Fine."

"Thank you Sides."

The red youngling settled down back in his original spot and shuttered his optics with a small sigh. Maybe he would close his tired optics for just a few minutes…

Sideswipe fell into a peaceful recharge, unaware that Optimus Prime continued to watch over his two sleeping charges with a contemplative expression. The leader of the Autobots had a feeling that those two younglings would grow up to be great warriors one of these days. He could use them on his team when they were old enough to fight. Sideswipe already displayed great ingenuity and Sunstreaker's equally creative mind made them both great assets for the Autobots. He just had to continue to protect the two of them and make sure that Megatron never got his evil mitts on his younglings.

After watching them for a while longer, Optimus found himself nodding off but his peace was cruelly shattered by the warning klaxon sounding on the ship. He swore and bounded hastily out of the door to see what the commotion was about. Wheeljack ran past him and slid to a stop to shout a warning over his shoulder before the inventor continued on his way.

"Sir, Decepticon ship has been sighted!"

Optimus locked the door of the quarters behind him so that the two little trouble makers wouldn't get into any mischief while he was busy dealing with the Decepticon threat on the bridge. When he got there, Prowl gave him an updated report while Optimus watched the Decepticon flagship on the forward view screen like a hawk.

"What could they possibly be up to out here?"

"Sir, they have just launched three smaller vessels, boarding craft from the looks of them."

"Put this ship on red alert, every Autobot to their battle stations!"

Prowl relayed the order and the Autobot crew ran to their designated stations. Ironhide was arming himself in the event the Decepticons managed to board their ship, Jazz and Mirage were currently manning turret stations to fire upon the approaching boarding craft. Optimus took command, Prowl kept his optics on the radar and the positions of every Decepticon out there while Ratchet and Wheeljack stood by for further orders.

"Target those boarding craft and take them down!"

Jazz and Mirage let loose a volley of plasma fire, knocking one of the three boarding vessels out of commission and destroying one of the other two. Optimus didn't like this one bit…this was too easy.

Then as if in answer to his silent musings, something collided with the rear of their ship.

Prowl swore as his sensors finally registered a new presence.

"The Decepticon flagship just warped in behind us, one of their boarding craft has just been launched and a squadron of seekers is also inbound."

"I want Mirage, Jazz, and Ironhide to engage them with the rear turret batteries."

As soon as Optimus spoke those words, the enemy opened fire and set off an explosion on the exterior of their ship. A resulting shockwave rippled through their vessel, sending more warning sirens off.

"Sir, the rear turret batteries have been destroyed. Those rear turrets are inoperable!"

"Do we have any drones?"

"Yes sir, approximately two dozen."

"Then have Ratchet and Wheeljack, send them out to engage the seeker squadron. Jazz and Mirage continue to engage the forward ship. Ironhide see what you can do about that rear boarding craft! Prowl, get us out of range."

"Yes sir."

Slowly but surely, the Autobot battleship moved out of range, no longer sandwiched between the two Decepticon ships, all of the operational turrets firing relentlessly at the first ship that was now limping away from the battle after sustaining heavy damage and all three boarding craft were destroyed. Now Optimus understood perfectly. Megatron must have sacrificed some of his troops by using them as a diversion so that he could maneuver in behind the Autobots while they were distracted.

Clever strategy but Optimus felt confident that he was still one step ahead of his arch nemesis.

That was until Ironhide shouted through the ship com system.

"OPTIMUS DECEPTICONS BOARDING!"

Optimus remained calm as he opened up a private channel with his weapons specialist.

: Where are they Ironhide? :

: They sent one boarding craft that had to be using a cloaking device to our storage level and the other to our rear is heavily damaged. It's docking down in the detention level. :

: Affirmative. Engage whichever boarding craft arrived first, the rest of us will come help you out soon. :

: I'm sorry I couldn't take down the boarding craft Optimus :

: Don't worry about that now, old friend. Just focus on the task at hand! :

: Yes sir:

"Prowl, we have a problem."

"Tell me about it," Prowl answered dryly.

"Remain here on the bridge. If that damaged Decepticon warship tries anything, shoot them out of the sky. For the time being, focus all firepower on the Decepticon Flagship. I want every other battle ready Autobot engaging the Decepticon boarders! Send Jazz and Mirage to aid Ironhide in the storage level. Wheeljack, Ratchet, and I will engage the intruders in the detention area."

With those last set of orders, every Autobot scrambled to obey them and to defend their precious cargo.

There was only one reason why the Decepticons were bold enough to board their ship like this.

They were after the younglings…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Author's Note: Sorry this was short, hopefully will have another up soon!


	16. Encounter With Seekers

Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing my last chapter! No I have not abandoned this story even though I was away for a long time. I never leave my stories unfinished so please review! Also, I know that I said last chapter was 16 but meant to say 15…this chapter is really 16 lol.

Chapter 16

The twins by now knew something was very wrong when they awoke to hear warning sirens out in the hallway, not to mention Optimus was gone. Sides tried to open the door but discovered it had been locked. Only Optimus Prime's special unlock code could open it now.

"What's going on out there?" Sunny questioned a little nervously from where he was crouched on the recharge berth.

"Something bad if Optimus left" Sides answered casually as he climbed up beside his twin.

The red youngling wasn't as worried about what was happening since he had great faith in the Autobot leader. The ship shook as if something big had just collided with it. If the twins had been standing up, they would have been knocked down by the impact. The shrill blaring of the red alert alarm outside gave the younglings a sense of foreboding doom.

"I want Optimus…" Sunny whimpered beside his brother.

"I do too. Maybe he will come back soon."

The twins cowered together when they heard the frightened shouts of Jazz and Mirage outside of the door followed by an angry roar. Blaster fire erupted out in the hallway and the twins could barely make out who was fighting outside of their room. At one point they heard Ironhide bellow something like, "Eat this, you decepticon slagger!" before a loud shriek echoed further down the hall when something, most likely a grenade, exploded next to an enemy.

"Who do you think is winning?"

"Ironhide silly, don't you hear him out there?"

Not long after, the sounds of battle faded out as the warriors took their fight elsewhere.

"I think they're gone," Sides declared from where he had one audio pressed against the door.

"Hey…look what I found!"

Sunny was standing next to the small desk in the corner of the room. A small panel was down and Sides could see buttons next to a small screen.

"Is that a communications device?"

Sides crossed the room to join his brother and the twins both investigated their find.

"I think so."

"Does it even work?"

"Let's find out"

Sunny pushed the power button and the screen flickered to life.

"Now what?"

An automated voice answered him.

"I am the ARK's automated directory system. How may I assist you today?"

"We need to speak to Optimus Prime!"

"Now dialing Optimus Prime"

The ship's AI dialed the Autobot leader's personal com-link system. The twins watched the blinking word that said "connecting" on the screen, eagerly waiting to see the "answered" symbol pop up. Sides jerked his head away from the screen when he heard something by the door. A familiar sounding voice filtered through, followed by another.

"What's _this?"_

"A locked door, what's it look like stupid?"

"Yeah but why is this one the _only_ locked door in this hallway?"

Where had they heard those voices before? Sides turned to look at Sunny to see a shocked expression on his twin's face.

"What is it Sunny?"

"It's t**hem** Sides, we gotta hide!" Sunny whispered frantically as he looked around the room for a suitable hiding place. Sunny grabbed his brother's arm and pulled him under the recharge berth until they were both huddling in the back corner. They still heard the voices of those two decepticon jets outside their door.

"Megatron wants the younglings so we have to search the entire ship until we find them!"

"Break the door down then!"

Loud banging filled the room as the door was slowly broken into. The twins failed to see the comm screen flash a green light as the word "answered" appeared. The door was kicked violently down and two sets of large feet entered the room. The twins remained perfectly still and silent from where they hid beneath the recharge berth.

"I don't see the little fraggers, do you Warp?"

"No, just these cute little blankets over here"

Skywarp was currently admiring the two soft, fuzzy, warm red and yellow blankets on top of the recharge berth.

"Looks like, someone was trying to call for help. The little cretins must still be in this room!"

A brief tone filled the silence as someone switched the com-link off.

"Come out little ones…we promise we won't hurt you…" cooed the voice of Skywarp as he began to search the room for them.

"…much…" Thundercracker finished for his brother with a wicked smirk as he helped look beneath the desk.

The twins were shivering from fright by the time the two seekers stood right next to their chosen hiding spot. The entire room had practically been turned upside down and both seekers were sharing a grin when they figured out where the younglings were hiding. Sunny and Sides nearly vented a sigh of relief when they saw and heard both Decepticons exit the room. Right as Sunny was about to tell his brother it was safe to leave their hiding place, a rather frighteningly happy face appeared right in front of them, eliciting shrill shrieks from the two younglings.

They tried to evade the seeking hands of the Decepticon Skywarp but Sunny was the first to get dragged out by one of his little legs. He was pulled out, dangling upside down in front of the amused face of the seeker while his brother was fighting off the eager hands of Thundercracker. In a last act of desperation, Sides did the only thing that came to his processor.

A startled, pain-filled cry startled Skywarp as he turned to see his brother snarling and swearing as he held his hand.

"That little pit spawn BIT me!"

Now extremely angry, Thundercracker roughly pulled the second youngling out and completely ignored the little beast's cries of pain as he handled him none too gently.

"That's what you get for biting me, you little fool!"

The red youngling glared at him and had the audacity to actually hiss in Thundercracker's face.

The seeker practically threw the second youngling at his brother before marching out of the door in rage. Skywarp couldn't help but cuddle the younglings as he held them. They were so cute! He wondered if Megatron would let him keep them…

They were so small and their feisty attitudes were adorable in his opinion. He couldn't forget how the yellow one had tried to punch him in the face from where he had been dangling upside down a few moments ago. It was funny and most entertaining!

"Alright little ones, just be good for uncle Skywarp and I promise I won't let my brother hurt you."

Sunny and Sides shared a skeptical look with one another as they were hauled out of the room by the seeker, both younglings unsure of what to do now that they were captured. It was a little confusing that this one Decepticon was actually being nice to them. Weren't all Decepticons mean, like Optimus said?

They didn't have long to ponder it when a booming voice came from somewhere nearby.

"Put the younglings down!"

Thundercracker and Skywarp froze in their tracks when they turned to see the Autobot leader aiming his gun right at them. Thundercracker sneered at the Autobot and gave him a defiant glare.

"You wouldn't dare fire on us while we have the younglings in our possession!"

"Release them and I will let you go without consequence. Fail to surrender them to me and I will terminate you," Optimus's voice lowered as he narrowed icy blue optics threateningly at his foes.

"If you want them, come and get them!"

With those words, Thundercracker and Skywarp turned around and fled with the two younglings shrieking shrilly for Optimus to save them. Prime was in hot pursuit with determination blazing in his eyes. He was going to save them and those two seekers were going to regret their failure to heed his words. Why did Decepticons always have to do things the hard way?

Optimus was quite pleased to see that the two seekers had managed to hit a dead end when they came across a locked door, preventing them from rejoining their comrades on the other side. Ironhide, Mirage, and Jazz had guns trained on the two seekers. Ironhide was grinning widely now as he approached Skywarp. He took Sunny and sides from him, keeping his gun trained on the enemy the entire time.

"Here Optimus," Ironhide gave his leader the twins and then took his position near their captives.

"So nice of you both to join us in our humble home, now if you would be so kind, as to follow me," Mirage gave Thundercracker an encouraging nudge with his gun to get them moving.

They followed behind Ironhide and the Autobots led them further into their ship until they found the detention level. Ratchet and Wheeljack were loading the last of the Decepticon bodies onto the boarding vessel and were just about to launch it back into space as a funeral pod.

"We got us a couple of prisoners Ratchet. They tried to take the twins!"

Ratchet turned and glared at the two seekers and gestured for his comrades to shove them into the nearest cell where the energy bars activated once they were inside.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to tell us why you were after the younglings?"

"We aren't telling you anything!" Thundercracker snarled.

Ratchet activated his saw and sent his most chilling death glare in their direction. Skywarp was the first to crack.

"Megatron wants them for new recruits!"

"YOU IDIOT!"

Thundercracker turned and punched his brother who quickly retaliated. Both bots scuffled, rolling around on the floor trying to get the upper hand. A loud gunshot shut the two bickering bots up immediately and Skywarp and his brother stopped fighting to look up at a growling Ironhide.

"Just tell us what we need to know and we will set you free."

"LIARS," Thundercracker hissed with narrowed eyes as he took in each of the Autobots.

"We are very truthful unlike you Decepticons. When we say we will set you free…we mean it."

"Starscream told Megatron that the two younglings were good Decepticon material and that the yellow one in particular is the stronger of the two. He wants more recruits for his army and told us to capture them. That's all we know," Skywarp spilled not at all concerned about the death glare his older brother was shooting him.

"Alright, you're free to go."

Jazz deactivated the cell's energy bars so that Mirage and Ironhide could escort their two prisoners out.

"Wait, we can't go back without the younglings, Megatron will terminate us for sure!" Skywarp wailed pitifully as they were shoved along.

"That's not our problem," Ironhide grunted in reply.

"Maybe you should join the Autobots Skywarp. We don't terminate each other!" Jazz suggested as they escorted them off ship.

"The day my brother joins you stinking Autobots is the day that hell freezes over!" Thundercracker growled dangerously as he and his brother were shoved into the boarding craft that they had arrived on. Some other Decepticons were rounded up, Optimus making sure that every Decepticon caught their scheduled flight off ship.

"You can tell Megatron that if any of you attempts another attack or tries to steal our younglings again, we will shoot to kill next time. Consider yourselves warned!"

With those final words, Optimus Prime closed up the hatch and launched the boarding craft back into space. The Autobots had attached a flight guidance system to the ship so that Prowl could remote control its flight pattern as he guided the ship back to the Nemesis. Megatron would most likely be unhappy to find that his troops had been most unsuccessful in their kidnapping ploy. What would make him even grouchier was the sight of the Autobot ship warping to another system, carrying the younglings far from his grasp.

Optimus smiled behind his battle mask as he watched the stars streak past the viewport. He walked back up to the bridge to see how Prowl was faring, both younglings content to be in his arms.

"I think it's high time that you both began your training. You are close enough to the training age to begin, what do you say?"

"Awesome!"

"I want to kick Decepticon aft too!"

"Language," Optimus looked sternly at Sunny who gave him a guilty smile.

"Ironhide said he'd teach us!"

"I can't wait!"

The very next day, the twins began their training and learned their basic combat skills from Ironhide and basic strategy tactics from Prowl for the next few orns. Both twins caught on very well and soaked in all of the knowledge like eager little sponges as their elders taught them what they needed to know.

Optimus knew it would be beneficial for all involved, especially if the Decepticons tried to take them away again. Optimus knew Megatron enough to know that the evil, old codger was quite persistent when it came to getting something he was after. He would never stop until he had the twins in his wicked clutches. Hopefully, the twins would surprise the Decepticons the day they displayed what they learned.

The twins were going to be a force to be reckoned with, that much was certain.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH THE CONCLUDING CHAPTER!


	17. Jet Judo

Author's Note: This is the final chapter of the story. I know that I could have had many more chapters but I need to finish my other unfinished fanfiction stories. I'm also in the process of writing a novel I hope to publish by the end of this New Year! Thanks for sticking with me and for your reviews!

**Chapter 17-Epilogue**

Some years passed until the twins were no longer considered younglings but the Earth equivalent of teenagers. There was one other time since they had been younger that the Decepticons had tried to capture them again and the twins remembered that encounter well.

_Flashback_

_They were in the middle of one of Prowl's boring lectures again. Sideswipe had one hand resting on his chin to support his head so that he wouldn't slip into recharge on his desk. It was still a very hard battle, listening to Prowl's monotonous voice._

"…_and here we have in this section a classic example of a flanking maneuver…"_

_Sunstreaker was pretending to take notes but was in all reality doodling on his datapad. Over the years he had come to love art and was currently working on a masterpiece, a picture of Prowl talking a Decepticon to death in a verbal judo match._

"…_this squadron was decimated when a Decepticon raiding party took them by surprise with a—"_

_The warning sirens went off at that moment, cutting Prowl off and eliciting startled yelps from the twins who were still not quite used to hearing them. Prowl gave them strict orders._

"_Go immediately to the armory room and meet Ironhide there. He will give you further instructions." _

_The Decepticons had just managed to corner the Autobots while they were at a refueling and supply station in the Northeastern sector. Ironhide ordered the twins to hide in the armory room, telling them they could fight back but only if the Decepticons started it. They obeyed his instructions to the letter._

_Ironically, it happened to be Thundercracker and Skywarp who decided to visit the armory room. They walked in together, excited to find a stash of weapons since theirs were low on power._

_The twins shared a wicked grin from their perch in the rafters up in the ceiling. _

_: You ready for this Sideswipe? :_

_: Ironhide and Prowl said we aren't allowed to start it! :_

_: We aren't, they just did by attempting to steal our weapons! :_

_: Attempting? :_

_: Yes, attempting because we are going to stop them! :_

_Both twins waited for the perfect opportunity and when they had it, they both fell from the ceiling and landed on top of their targets with crows of triumph. _

"_It's THEM Thundercracker!"_

"_Well don't stand there gabbing about it, GET THEM!"_

_The twins ended up giving the two Decepticon jets the beating of their lives, soon nick naming their fighting technique._

"_Come back again in the future and we will be happy to give you both another jet judo lesson!"_

_The two cons limped out of sight before transforming. They flew away in utter disgrace, swearing vengeance the next time they returned. The twins shared a big grin and shook hands before running off to find the others._

_End Flashback_

Now the twins gained a reputation for themselves, even at so young an age. The seekers from then on out always looked up before entering a room, undoubtedly fearing the jet judo the twins promised them. It was rather comical and Optimus Prime praised the twins for their clever ingenuity and quick thinking. Prowl even had a high compliment for their strategy in dealing with the Decepticon seekers, saying it was one of the most clever strategies he'd ever seen.

The twins were currently on patrol around the perimeter of another supply station, both happy that the Autobots finally gave them a grown up task to accomplish since they were getting sick and tired of being cooped up on the ship. When the twins were bored…mayhem ensued.

Ratchet was the first to suggest the idea that the twins do something as simple as patrol duty to get them away from his precious medbay and to escape their pranks. Optimus had readily agreed saying that it was finally time for Sunstreaker and Sideswipe to join the ranks of the Autobots as warriors.

: Anything on your end, Sides? :

: Nope, you? :

: I spotted an asteroid earlier in orbit on the far side of the moon base :

: You sure it's really an asteroid? You do realize the cons have holographic technology…it could be their ship _disguised_ as an asteroid :

: Do you realize how paranoid you sound? :

: It's not paranoia, it's smart thinking :

: Whatever, Sunny :

The two cut their com chatter and resumed their patrols. A couple more hours passed with nothing out of the ordinary occurring, although that orbiting asteroid was still on Sunstreaker's processor. After the asteroid passed in front of his line of sight for the third time, he saw something definitely worth noting.

: Sunstreaker to Sideswipe :

: What is it this time? Another comet? :

: No, that asteroid just…just shimmered! :

: Do you have a glitch in your optic sensors? It's fine, Sunny, it's probably just light reflecting off of the ice in that thing. :

Sunstreaker kept narrowed optics on it and saw it do that weird shimmer again, like a holo-projector was glitching up.

: I'm telling you Sideswipe…there is something definitely _wrong_ with that asteroid! :

: Will you just relax already? Do you want me to call Ratchet on you? :

Just then the asteroid changed, the cloak dropping to reveal a Decepticon warship. Sunstreaker opened up a com line to all available Autobots.

: We have a Decepticon warship in orbit on the southeastern sector!:

Optimus Prime came through on the com next.

: Inform us of any changes! :

Just then Sunstreaker noticed smaller moving objects breaking away from the bigger ship. He put the viewfinder up to his optics again and snarled.

: Incoming Seekers! :

: I've been waiting all stellar cycle to hear that! I'm on my way, Sunny! :

Sunstreaker pulled out his battle rifle and adjusted his scope and then started sniping as many of the jets as he could. Two went down after he managed to hit their wings but the rest kept coming. It didn't take long for his twin to join him and pretty soon they managed to single handedly wipe out half of the first wave. Thundercracker and Skywarp were the first two to land in front of the twins, both Decepticons glowering at them.

"We owe you both a beating after that last stunt you pulled on us!"

The twins shared a look before turning back to face their rivals.

"It's called Jet Judo and we'd be more than happy to give you lesson number two!"

The two Decepticons charged with angry cries, only to wind up on the flat of their backs.

They scrambled back up, snarling with rage and went in swinging. The twins dodged or blocked their anger driven attacks with concentrated looks on their faces. Hand to hand combat was something that they excelled in and they had Optimus and Prowl to thank for the lessons. They were doing well, until the Decepticons decided to cheat…

One of the jets picked up some of the soil and rocks of the moon they were on and threw it in Sideswipe's face, temporarily blinding him. Thundercracker took advantage of his foes current disadvantage and punched the cocky twin in the midsection. Sideswipe was knocked down and pretty soon he was scrambling to defend himself as the seeker all but pounced on him. Sunstreaker roared with rage when he saw one of the decepticons pummeling the daylights out of his twin and kicked Skywarp in the head. He ran to his brother's aid and tackled Thundercracker to the ground and sat on top of him while punching his face.

"No one does that to my brother!"

Gunfire erupted all around them as both Autobots and Decepticons fought each other, the battle finally escalating. The twins were kept busy with Thundercracker and Skywarp for a while, each of them taking turns taking the beatings and dishing them out. Soon, however, the two jets made another grudging retreat and took off for the skies but the twins weren't finished yet. Sideswipe leapt up into the air and landed on the jet form of Skywarp and forced the con to crash back down into the ground.

"You can't leave until you finish you just deserts!"

Sideswipe got hit by a laser blast and flew backwards, skidding across the ground totally dazed and in pain. He looked up to see who had hit him to see the scowling face of Starscream.

"You two will be coming with me!"

Sunstreaker didn't waste any time and fired upon Starscream, running in front of his brother to shield him while he recovered from the nasty hit he had taken.

"No one is going anywhere with you, Starscream!"

Starscream almost seemed to pale when he looked up to acknowledge the new voice.

"Optimus Prime…"

Optimus unleashed a torrent of gunfire on the seeker, forcing Starscream to retreat if he valued his life. The twins groaned as they picked themselves up.

"Aww, come on Optimus! We totally had that guy!"

The leader chuckled a little and shook his head.

"Starscream is as devious as they come. You both would have needed backup before long."

The twins grumbled to themselves and joined the other Autobots in the cleanup effort after the Decepticons retreated yet again. The ship in orbit left too and Sunstreaker turned to regard his twin with a smirk.

"I told you there was something weird about that asteroid."

Sideswipe frowned.

"Alright, I guess you were right…this time."

The twins shared an amused look before rejoining their comrades on their ship, the Autobots ready to blast off themselves. Optimus smiled as he ushered the twins to the med bay for repairs, still thinking back to when they first arrived on their ship as younglings. It was remarkable, the progress that they had made. The twins were officially the jet judo masters of the universe and the Autobots knew that they were lucky to have them on their team.

"You both did very well today…and I'm proud of you."

The twins blinked in astonishment and then smiled.

"Thanks Optimus, we are just glad that we can finally help and make a difference."

"You made a difference long before you could fight. Just having you here with us helped us more than you know."

Ratchet piped in just then.

"That doesn't excuse you for all the trouble you cause around here! Now sit down and hold still!"

The bots shared a laugh and knew that so long as they had each other, they had a family. After all, home is where the spark is.

**THE END**

Author's note: Please review and thanks so much to my readers and reviewers for sticking with me through this story!


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